Using the Proceeds of Crime Act, Britain’s Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) has gone after three small-scale inshore fishermen who are being prosecuted for illegally landing 19 metric tons of sole over the course of a six-year period, IntraFish Media publication Fishing News International reports.
The MFA values the sole at £99,000 (€126,000/$196,000), while the fishermen’s fines have been set at a combined £317,000 (€402,000/$628,000).
The Proceeds of Crime Act was intended to allow authorities to seize property and assets that are the result of illegal activity, as with drug dealers.
Under
