THREE MEN WHO were found in possession of illegally-caught fish tried to sail away from shore on a boat while two Fisheries Officers were on board.

A third officer was knocked overboard by one of the men during what the head of Inland Fisheries Ireland described as “one of the most serious incidents that the agency has come across”.

Ballina District Court convicted the three Mayo men of false imprisonment, assault and obstruction, as well as possessing illegally-caught wild Atlantic salmon and nets.

The court heard evidence from IFI Inspector Lonan O’Farrell Fisheries Officers approached the men at Belderrig Pier in north Mayo on the evening of 15 July 2020.

The officers suspected that the men had illegally-caught wild Atlantic salmon and illegal gill nets on board.

However, they were ‘obstructed and assaulted’ when they attempted to board the vessel, O’Farrell told the court.

One of the men assaulted and knocked one of the officers overboard, the court heard. The officer swam back to the pier and contacted emergency services. 

The men brought the boat out to sea with two of the officers on board the vessel and did not initially comply with orders to return to the port, the court heard.

They later agreed to bring the boat back to the port and the Fisheries Officers returned to the pier.

The boat was subsequently detained in Porturlin Harbour and forensics and salmon scale samples were taken as evidence.

Fisheries Officers and gardaí seized three vehicles on the night belonging to the men in question.

Inspector Pat Armstrong, Officer Brian Flannery and Assistant Inspector Michael Wilson of Inland Fisheries Ireland also gave evidence during court proceedings to Judge Fiona Lydon.

Daniel McHale, with an address of Belderrig Mor in Ballina, was sentenced to six months in prison. Liam McHale of Carnrock in Belmullet was sentenced to four months and Joachim McNulty, with an address of Belderrig Beg in Ballina, was sentenced to four months. All of the sentences were suspended for two years.

The three men were also ordered to pay €2,500 each to charity. Fisheries Officers nominated the Charlie Bird Fund, Western Alzheimer’s Association and the RNLI  to receive the donations.

The CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, Francis O’Donnell, said in a statement that it was one of the most serious incidents that the agency has come across.

He said that “in the course of doing their job to protect vulnerable fish species, such as wild Atlantic salmon”, officers were “obstructed, assaulted and falsely imprisoned”.

“This is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated in Irish society,” O’Donnell said.