European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) inspectors have detained a fishing vessel and escorted it into Castletownbere, Co Cork.
The 24-metre French-registered vessel Astrid was detained on May 18th after an inspection at sea by officers on the EFCA patrol vessel Ocean Guardian.
The vessel is owned by French fishing company La Houle Armement which has Irish interests.
The EFCA said that the vessel had been handed over to An Garda Siochana, and assistance is being provided by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) in Castletownbere.
The Ocean Guardian patrol vessel is operating in EU waters within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of a Joint Deployment Programme between EFCA and member states, including Ireland.
"Inspections are undertaken at sea on a risk-based approach focused on gear and fishing area,"the SFPA said.
The SFPA said that in co-operation with EFCA it undertakes planning and co-ordination of allocated resources to ensure that inspections are undertaken in line with the strategic risk assessment.
“This takes into account the status of exploited stocks, level of catches, and probability of non-compliance with the fisheries legislation in force,”it says.
