Bournemouth restaurant boss fined for landing illegal catch in English Channel

This is the moment a Vietnamese restaurant boss was filmed illegally hauling fish from the English Channel in the middle of the night.

Three men were caught on camera by fisherman Steve Cullen, 35, after they landed 40kg of juvenile sea bass at 4am in Poole, Dorset.

He confronted them on camera and asked them "What do you think you're doing?" The trio then bundled their catch into a van emblazoned with the slogan: "Eat Pho. Traditional Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup" on the side, this was later found to be connected to the Eat Pho Restaurant in Bournemouth.

Now two of the men have pleaded guilty to illegally landing fish at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court and ordered to pay £500 each in fines and £1,500 in court costs.

Angler Steve Cullen confronted the trio who had a bucket of juvenile sea bass in Poole, Dorset, in August 2018.

Mr Cullen was awoken by the men while sleeping in his car at Rockley Park, Dorset, in the early hours. He said he "saw red and slung the bucket of fish back in the water", shouting "It's bass, what do you think you're doing?" in a video he posted on Facebook.

The case was brought by fisheries watchdog SIFCA (Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority) who said Poole Harbour was an important refuge for juvenile bass.