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Fareham fisherman fined £3,400 for illegal clam dredging

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 15:31 · Archive

A Fareham fisherman has been fined £3,400 after dredging for clams in a prohibited area of Southampton Water.

Brett Johnsey, 36, from Fareham, was ordered to pay £3,400 after being caught dredging for clams in a prohibited area of Southampton Water on 31 January. Officers from the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority spotted his vessel, B Ready MT2, towing a metal shellfish-harvesting dredge along the seabed. They monitored it for three hours and 40 minutes, gathering evidence using video cameras, a drone and compass bearings. When the vessel returned to its berth on the River Hamble, officers found 237kg of clams on board. Johnsey admitted the shellfish had been caught both inside and outside the prohibited zone.

Johnsey was initially offered the chance to settle the matter by paying a £1,000 financial administrative penalty. However, after he failed to pay, the case went to Bournemouth Combined Court on 21 October. Magistrates imposed a £1,000 fine alongside £2,000 towards the authority's investigation and legal costs and a £400 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £3,400.

The restrictions are designed to protect designated marine habitats within the Solent maritime special area of conservation and the Solent and Southampton Water special protection area. Commercial clam dredging is permitted outside the restricted zone under a permit issued by Southern IFCA.

Fareham fisherman fined £3,400 for illegal clam dredging
Image: The News, Portsmouth

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In this story: Brett Johnsey · Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority · Southampton Water · Fareham · Solent

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