Austin Deasy
Question:21 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Marine the circumstances under which foreign fishing boats convicted of fishing illegally in the Irish exclusion zone are confiscated. [11276/97]
Written Answers. - Fishing Vessel Confiscations.
The circumstances in which the courts may order the confiscation of a fishing vessel are set out in section 14 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1994. Such confiscation may arise on conviction for serious breaches of fisheries law. In particular courts may order a vessel to be confiscated on a first conviction if the offence is considered to have been a serious abuse of conservation measures. The courts may also order a boat to be confiscated in respect of a second or subsequent conviction committed on board the same boat within three years of the previous offence subject to detailed rules on continuity of ownership which are laid down in section 14.
It is of course a matter for the courts to determine and impose the penalties available under the law.