A fish shop owner and a fisherman were yesterday charged with breaching fishing laws.

Fisherman Sammy Vella, 34, from Marsaxlokk and Darren Debono, 40, from San Ġwann, a former footballer who owns a fish shop, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit a crime using the boat Maria Lourdes II on June 11.

Mr Vella was also charged with failing to notify the authorities on his return to port, trying to sell swordfish below the minimum size allowed by law and making a false declaration.

Mr Debono was also charged with assisting Mr Vella in trying to offload tuna without permission.

They were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €15,000 each and a deposit of €3,000 each.

Lawyers Giannella de Marco, Michael and Lucio Sciriha appeared for the men.

Police Inspector Jurgen Vella prosecuted.

The two men were investigated when members of the fisheries department arrived in port to check the quantities of fish caught and allegedly found more than half was tuna that had been illegally caught, sources said.

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