Case #24044: Gallan Head to Aird Barvas, 14 July 2026

The closed area is outlined; the marker is where the activity was recorded. Basemap © Esri, HERE, Garmin, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The case in brief

This measure reaches only suction; this vessel's established gear is scallop_dredge.

Case: #24044
Observation: Satellite radar detection, no AIS
Closed area: Gallan Head to Aird Barvas (SSI 2004 No. 276)
What is prohibited there: dredging prohibited
When: 2026-07-14 12:04 UTC → 2026-07-23 11:45 UTC
Position: 58.2300°, -6.7900°
Vessel: SUMMER ROSE OB141
MMSI: 232014949
Flag: UK
Gear (satellite-inferred): Dredge Fishing
Gear (verified by hand): Scallop Dredge — high confidence
Length: 20.5 m
Home port: OBAN

How this case was judged

Every CAUGHT case is assessed on three independent questions, and the weakest of the three decides. A case reads CAUGHT only when all three are established and a person has reviewed it.

Activity weak

Was it fishing, here, and then?
- Radar detection attributed to this vessel by reachability. It places a hull at this position, but radar cannot show fishing behaviour, so activity cannot be established from this detection alone.
- What would settle it: a concurrent AIS track through the same window showing a working pattern, or independent corroboration of the same vessel in the same closure.
Vessel strong

What gear does this boat actually use?
- Bottom-towed gear established: scallop_dredge.
Rule strong

What was prohibited there, then, for that gear?
- Reaches only: suction. Other fisheries are not within this measure.
- Rule reviewed against the instrument: SSI 2004/276 Schedule 1 item 19 fills column 4 only, the additional prohibition of suction dredging under article 3(2), and leaves column 3 empty. The article 3(1) ban on trawls and ordinary dredges does not apply in this area, so only a suction dredge is prohibited here.

Check it yourself

Nothing here asks to be taken on trust. The full report sets out every source, every measurement and everything we could not establish.

Full evidence pack Open on the live map About this closure How CAUGHT works

What this is, and what it isn't. A CAUGHT case is a reason to look, not a verdict, and this page is not a finding that an offence took place. Vessel names and identifiers come from publicly broadcast AIS data, which can be wrong or mis-attributed. Most fishing inside UK marine protected areas is currently legal; CAUGHT only flags places where a rule already exists.

If you own or operate this vessel and believe it has been mischaracterised, write to contact@caught.org.uk — corrections are welcomed and we publish them. Your right of reply is set out in our terms.

Unidentified radar target inside Gallan Head to Aird Barvas

The case in brief

How this case was judged

Check it yourself