Fisherman caught fishing illegally off Cornwall ordered to pay £64,000

A fisherman caught illegally electrofishing off Cornwall was at risk of depleting fish stocks due to greed, a court heard. Gediminas Paskauskas dragged an electrical net behind a boat to provide electricity to the seabed in search of clips during a seven-month long illegal fishing campaign.

During a hearing at Truro Crown Court on July 1, the 44-year-old, who has an address in Ireland and Subsea Elite Limited, which is registered at an address in Dagenham, Essex, received sentences for a number of offenses relating to electrofishing for walleyes, as well as razor fishing in unclassified waters, perverting the course of public justice and transferring criminal property.

The offenses took place between 27 July 2019 and 31 January 2020. The Cornwall Fisheries and Conservation Authority, which prosecuted the case, said that although Paskauskas and Subsea Elite Ltd had already pleaded guilty to the offenses in July 2022, sentencing had been deferred as following an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).

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The court was told that shell electrofishing is a very effective way of catching clams, but it is illegal in England. This involves towing an electrical grid behind a boat to deliver an electrical current to the seabed. This causes the clams to emerge from their burrows and a diver following close behind the vessel is then able to hand-pick the animals from the seabed in large numbers.

Cornwall IFCA said: “This is a highly efficient method of harvesting ice and can significantly deplete the stock in a very short time. Our investigation revealed how the fishing vessel Good Fortune TO48 was fishing for clams, being specially equipped with an electrical device. generator and welding unit to control electrical output, welding cables and metal rods, which when connected and operated together would produce electrical current on the seabed.

“It is banned in UK waters under regulation adopted by the Cornwall Fisheries and Conservation Authority in the EU. The electrical equipment used and carried on board the Good Fortune contravenes several conditions of its fishing licence.’

Cornwall IFCA also said that not only was Paskauskas illegally fishing for clams, but he was doing so in areas where the water quality was not good enough for the clams to be suitable for human consumption, meaning that any such clams that entered in the food chain could have caused consumers to become sick and sick.

The organization said the paperwork for the razors did not show their provenance, which is again an offense because it poses a risk to public health. Simon Cadman, IFCA’s chief enforcement officer in Cornwall, said the sentences came after a lengthy 18-month investigation.

He said Paskauskas and his crew told officers well-rehearsed lies about why they were carrying a generator and a welding device on board and exaggerated the time they spent fishing to explain the large amounts of catch discovered. Using electric current, Good Fortune regularly caught a quarter to half a ton of clams a day, sometimes more, with a first sale value of around £5,500/tonne paid by a Scottish buyer.

The potential to catch much larger numbers of clams was demonstrated by landings by another electrofishing vessel which was also investigated at the same time by IFCA in Cornwall. It was notable that on the days of an IFCA inspection in Cornwall of Good Fortune at sea, the generator and welding transformer would be hot, indicating recent use, although they were not operating anything with the officers present.

Once the officers leave, there is no fishing and the ship returns to port. This led officers to seize the transformer and generator, suspecting they were being used illegally for electrofishing.

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During an inspection of a cockerel landing in Charlestown Harbour, near St Austell, Paskauskas locked the wheelhouse door, denying officers the opportunity to fully search the vessel for suspected electrical equipment. When officers informed Paskauskas that steps were being taken to force entry into the wheelhouse and hire a crane to capture and remove the large deck-mounted generator, Paskauskas slipped his moorings and left port.

This was despite warnings from an officer that this amounted to obstruction and was an additional offence. The vessel was later found anchored in Fowey harbor where the deck-mounted generator was seized and removed as evidence. On another occasion, an electrical array was recovered from the seabed where Good Fortune was known to operate. It was found connected to a welding unit that was confiscated from Good Fortune at a later date.

On two separate occasions, in 2019 and 2020, Mr Paskauskas was interviewed by IFCA in Cornwall regarding his suspected electrofishing. He admitted that he knew about electrofishing the shells, but denied that he had done it himself. A crew member who said he was a mechanic aboard the Good Fortune was also interviewed under caution.

He denied that any electrofishing had taken place and offered various alternative reasons why a generator was operating at sea. Evidence of the use of an air compressor and an airline was handed to the Health and Safety Executive. They advised that the compressor is illegal for commercial diving.

Cornwall Port Health Authority was informed of alleged illegal catches and landings of razor clams by Good Fortune and this led to the discovery of false and missing documents.

Mr Cadman said: “In 2019, Mr Paskauskas brought his fishing vessel to Cornwall from Scotland to electrofish for scallops, a fishing technique he knew was prohibited under European law. were doing in the IFCA district of Cornwall and repeatedly lied to officers when confronted on a number of occasions at sea and ashore.

“However, as a result of the tenacity of our officers who investigated illegal fishing and gathered a significant body of evidence over an 18-month period, Mr Paskauskas and Subsea Elite Ltd ultimately pleaded guilty, shortly before their planned processes to take place.

“I am grateful to a number of organizations who assisted us in our investigations, in particular Marine Scotland, Glasgow City Council, Cornwall Port Health Authority and Rebecca Hall as Chartered Financial Investigator who was called upon to investigate the financial affairs of Mr Paskauskas and Subsea . Elite Ltd.

“This long and complex investigation which led to the conviction of the master and owner of the Good Luck demonstrates that the Authority will not tolerate the exploitation of coastal fisheries resources by illicit means and will make great efforts to expose the level and scale of crime. I hope that this investigation which has led to the significant sentences handed down by the Court will deter others from such behaviour.”

Judge Robert Linford sentenced Paskauskas and Subsea Elite Ltd to fines totaling £3,250 and a sum of £61,709. A claim for prosecution costs of around £40,000 is expected to be determined by the courts within weeks.

He was also warned that if he did not pay up within the next 12 months, he would go to jail.