MuckleJoannie Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 The court cases have not yet finished so the local media will not be able to report anything other than what comes out in court without risking being in contempt of court and ending up in court themselves. In paricular Shetland Catch are only going to be dealt with after all the skippers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 They knew the rules, they knew the risks and they've had their court appearance. Stop trying to justify criminal activity with half arsed bleating and attempts to divert blame. They got caught. End of. If this was some skaghead who had knicked a dvd player froma house in Lerwick, half the wailing clowns on here would be baying for their blood and demanding stiffer penalties. Hardly a like for like comparison IMHO. A DVD player in a private dwelling is hard to argue as being anything but the exclusive property of an individual. The fish in the sea are the property of everybody and nobody, until someone goes out there and catches them. The only "rules" that have been "broken" are arbitary ones, set by a small club of extremely remote foreigners, who maybe had "good intentions" (or as likely had other axes to grind), but are generally accepted as being useless at achieving their (alleged) intended goal, and knowing damn little about their specalist subject. I'm not arguing that the guys in question knew the rules and signed up to them, then chose to break them, que sera sera. But who is the "victim" in this alleged "crime", other than the very same guys, their shareholders and crews, and their successors in the industry? Its not like the stocks of herring and mackerel show any signs of "damage" by these alleged "crimes", in fact by all accounts the stocks are in a very healthy state, so much so that the Faeroemen and Icelanders are arbitarily awarding themselves massively increased takes of the stock.... If anything the current situation is proof that the "rules" that these guys "broke" were at best un-necessary and at worst just outright wrong. Where is the moral high ground in making a song and dance over upholding and supporting the upholding of a "law", that is evidenced by the facts which have become available in the period since it was broken, that it indeed was nothing but an ass in the first place. The EU would have served themselves better to have simply swept this one under the carpet and tried to retain whatever credibility and save whatever face they could. Going through with a "making an example" trial such as this only shows how badly wrong the EU stance was in the first place, as if that needed more proof than it aready has. Standing behind a bad law can only ever end in the lawmakers looking the greatest fools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ of Hildisvik Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Thought this little subject would be up and running on here by now. Or should we draw a line under it and move on , sounds familiar ? [***Mod edit - merged threads***] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Isn't it, or is there more than one?.... http://www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12929 Besides, maybe some folk see it as more of a EU/Westminster cock up or scam/witch hunt??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ of Hildisvik Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Witch hunt? they nicked £63.000.000 worth of fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 ^^ From whom? They may (or may not) have caught, landed and sold an amount of fish belonging to no-one in particular for that amount, which the EU says they shouldn't have, and been caught out by the EU and their Westminster puppets. But what worth the EU's say so unless it can be proven to be fair, just, beneficial to all and necessary? Or are we supposed to just curl up and accept the EU is a dictatorship who forces people to do anything they say, regardless whether its justified or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ of Hildisvik Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Why did they plead guilty then?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 ^^ Possibly because they decided they'd play ball with the EU dictatorship for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egbert-Mcwhirter Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 What they were fined is peanuts to them , in my opinion the fairest and best way to deal with them would be a life ban from fishing , plenty of other guys who would love the chance to work on the pelagic boats , boats should also be made a lot smaller with quotas shared out , more boats , more jobs for the boys and a better and fairer cut of the cake. I doubt it will ever happen but who knows ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ of Hildisvik Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Quite agree Egbert, more people involved in a fishery instead of a greedy corrupt few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peenk Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 So fisherman takes too much fish public outcry. Smackhead goes into old ladys house and steals her pension ...not a comment Both go to court fisherman.. pay back quota ,confiscation order and huge fine Smack head goes to court smack on wrist Yeah wir court system rocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ of Hildisvik Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 What has it got to do with the court system? This whole (ongoing affair) reflects badly on the law abiding fishermen of the whole UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciseman Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Quite agree Egbert, more people involved in a fishery instead of a greedy corrupt few.It wasn’t a ‘few’ - this was a major criminal deception carried out by a large percentage of UK pelagic fleet in collusion with some of the country’s largest fish buyers. The sophistication of the deception set up by Shetland Catch was staggering - this was no simple scam trying to avoid EU rules - this was serious planned criminality under UK law. Almost unbelievably the leader of the SIC Josie Simpson is trying to make excuses for the actions of all involved – this was no catch 22 this was criminal greed. http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/3442-caught-up-in-a-catch-22.html This was no victimless crime – the losers were the taxpayer and the environment. Simpson, along with the criminals, is a disgrace to Shetland and should be sacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest posiedon Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 This was no victimless crime – the losers were the taxpayer and the environment.Simpson, along with the criminals, is a disgrace to Shetland and should be sacked.The skippers involved should have their boats seized as proceeds of crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odddjob Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Anybody know why the Irish vesels who landed a huge proportion of this black fish at the catch and in nor east weren't persecuted and were let off by their government? Seems funny they were just allowed to sweep it all under the table when the Shetland guys have been put through the ringer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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