Midland Fish Company Ltd, which operates from Fleetwood Fish Market, was sentenced at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on 25 September 2017 in a prosecution brought by the MMO.
The court heard how the company, a registered buyer of first sale fish, had failed to submit sales notes to the MMO within the 48 hour period required by EU regulations.
Investigations by MMO officers revealed a total of 49 sales notes, with a total value of £13,811 and a total weight of 1,875kg were not submitted to the MMO by the company between 23 April 2014 and 29 September 2016.
Director Kenneth Hayton pleaded guilty on behalf of the company and was ordered to pay a fine of £2,500, £2,197.50 costs and a victim surcharge of £170.
A spokesperson for the MMO said:
The requirement to submit sales notes within 48 hours enables the MMO to gain an accurate picture of fish stocks on which to base its fisheries management decisions.
When, as in this case, sales notes are not submitted that picture becomes partial, distorted or inaccurate. This prosecution shows that the MMO will take the appropriate enforcement action to prevent such a situation occurring.