Klas Meijvogel fined over fish-grading equipment

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Klas Meijvogel was fined €500 and ordered to forfeit fish and gear worth €399,960 at Cork Circuit Court on 27 July 2015.

A jury had found Meijvogel guilty in June 2015 of having automatic grading equipment aboard the Wiron 5 that was fitted in a way that did not ensure the immediate freezing of graded fish and did not prevent marine organisms from returning to the sea.

The case followed a joint inspection of the vessel by a fisheries protection officer and naval officers on 11 February 2015. The Wiron 5 was one of two vessels detained approximately 30 miles west of the Blasket Islands over alleged breaches of EU fishery regulations and escorted to Cobh.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.