Case #82199: Bivalve Molluscan Shellfish, 3 October 2026

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

The case in brief

Assessed and closed: activity cannot be established on any evidence available to us.

Case: #82199
Observation: Satellite radar detection, no AIS
Closed area: Bivalve Molluscan Shellfish (SWSFC Byelaw 40)
What is prohibited there: dredging prohibited
When: 2026-10-03 11:36 UTC → 2026-10-10 11:37 UTC
Position: 51.6400°, -5.1900°
Vessel: SATURNUS
MMSI: 250000764
Flag: IE
Gear (satellite-inferred): Dredge Fishing
Gear (verified by hand): Boat Dredge — high confidence

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: boat_dredge.
Rule moderate

What was prohibited there, then, for that gear?
- Reaches only: scallop dredge, mussel dredge, dredge, scallop, bivalve. Other fisheries are not within this measure.
- Species-scoped to bivalve molluscs. Broader than the Scallop Order: it reaches mussel dredging as well as scallop dredging. It does not reach finfish or crustacean fishing.
- This measure has been read only from a secondary source, so it is not relied on to support an escalation.

Not established: activity. A case is only as strong as its weakest factor, so this one cannot read CAUGHT until that is settled.

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 Bivalve Molluscan Shellfish

The case in brief

How this case was judged

Check it yourself