Ten fishermen fined £1.2m

Published on 24/07/2012 00:00

TEN fishermen who had previously pled guilty to landing undeclared fish have been fined a total of almost £1.2 million.

The accused were: John Smith, 37, James Smith, 54, Allan Simpson, 43, Ernest Simpson, 65, Ian Buchan, 55, James Duthie, 55, Oswald McRonald, 64, John Mac-Leod, 57, Michael MacLeod, 33, and Stephen Bellany, 49.

Speaking outside the High Court in Edinburgh, Lindsey Miller, of the Crown Office, said: “These individuals used incredibly complex and devious methods to under declare their fish landings. They had no regard for the law or for the consequences such large scale over-fishing would have on fish stocks.”