The skipper and owner of a Manx fishing boat have been fined £5,000 each for fishing king scallops in closed waters.

Adrian Derek Rowlands, aged 46, of Collingwood Street, South Shields, admitted the breach of fishing regulations as skipper of the vessel CT81 Heather Maid while owners Heather Maid Limited, care of Mill Road, Peel, were represented by director Ms Caley, who also pleaded guilty on behalf of the company.

Prosecutor Michael Jelski told the court the boat was licensed to fish for king scallops during the season from November 1 to May 31.

However, certain specified areas are closed to fishing in order to allow scallop stocks to replenish.

Mr Jelski said on March 9, DEFA received an alert from the Heather Maid’s onboard system that the boat had entered a closed area and its speed indicated fishing activity. The department contacted skipper Rowlands and ordered him to attend an interview.

Rowlands said he had not realised he was in the closed area until he received the call from DEFA.

The court heard Heather Maid had spent two and a quarter hours in the closed area catching 4.5 bags of king scallops with a value of £496.35.

Rowlands told DEFA: ’It was a genuine mistake. I hold my hands up. I’m not one for breaking the rules.’

Director of Heather Maid Limited William Patrick Caley also attended an interview with DEFA officials and said Rowlands had only been the skipper of the boat for three weeks and had spent little time on it due to mechanical problems.

Defence advocate Jason Stanley said in court: ’The key mitigating factor is that Mr Rowlands had not realised he was fishing in the closed area.

’The department operate a system whereby each year they choose a different area to close to replenish scallops.’

Mr Stanley said the closed area’s co-ordinates are given to vessels and are available online but as Rowlands had not been skipper at the start of the fishing season he had not been made aware of the co-ordinates.

’This particular closed area was not marked on the plotter when Mr Rowlands got the vessel,’ said the advocate. ’Other closed areas were marked. It’s possible something happened which meant some of the data was lost.

’He accepts it was his responsibility to know where the closed areas were but would ask the court to accept this was a genuine mistake.’

Mr Stanley added that the boat’s licence had been suspended since April 11 which had resulted in an estimated loss of £25,000 in catches and £500-£600 per week in salary to Rowlands.

Magistrates gave Rowlands and Heather Maid Ltd one month to pay their fines and costs of £250.