07-05-2025
Illegal cockling earns man hefty fine from Pembrokeshire magistrates
Luke Burder admitted breaching cockle fishing regulations at Three Rivers Fishery
A MAN has been fined more than £600 after he was caught illegally harvesting cockles at a protected fishery in west Wales.
Luke Nigel Burder, aged 26, of Carreg Lwyd Farm, Velindre, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court on Thursday (May 1), where he pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of a marine permit at the Three Rivers Cockle Fishery on October 17, 2024.
The court was told that Burder was found using a net bag to collect cockles, a method explicitly prohibited under the Cockle Fishing Management and Permitting (Specified Area) (Wales) Order 2024.
The case was brought by the Counsel General for Wales, with prosecutors arguing that Burder's actions undermined sustainable fishing practices designed to protect vulnerable coastal ecosystems.
Magistrates imposed a £300 fine, and ordered Burder to pay £200 in prosecution costs and a further £120 victim services surcharge—bringing the total penalty to £620.
The offences were prosecuted under Section 190 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, which governs access and activity in protected marine areas.
Burder has been given until May 29, 2025, to pay the full amount.
