The master of a French registered sea-fishing vessel, “Sister Clare”, has been sent forward for trial in the Circuit Court for alleged sea-fisheries offences detected during an inspection of the vessel at Castletownbere port.
The vessel was detained in a joint operation between officers of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and An Garda Síochána, with the detention extended under an order of the District Court on the 27th of June, 2025.
The master appeared before Bandon District Court on the 29th of June, where he was served with the book of evidence and sent forward to the next sittings of Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The Court heard the Director of Public Prosecutions directed a prosecution for charges including the alleged use of non-compliant fishing gear, mis-recording of gear dimensions and catches onboard, failure to accurately record information on frozen Nephrops box labels, and failure to have equipment to recover lost gear.
The Court ordered the vessel may be released from detention subject to payment of a bond to the value of €350,000.00