An underground intelligence network aimed at helping hundreds of fishermen avoid getting caught fishing illegally around Scotland’s coast has been condemned as “blatant piracy”.
Fishermen intent on breaking the law are tracking the movements of the Scottish Government’s three fisheries patrol boats - the Minna, Jura and Hirta - to try and hamper them from policing the seas, boarding boats and seizing their illegal catches.
The three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs) regularly patrol the coastline on the lookout for boats breaching the law by taking “black fish” in excess of their quotas, fishing in conservation areas or using illegal techniques, such as electric fishing.
