4 Offences.S
(1)Any person who contravenes section 3 of this Act or any order made under this Act, or who fails to comply with section 1(3) of this Act shall be guilty of an offence; and where a fishing boat is used in the commission of such an offence, the master, the owner and the charterer (if any) shall each be guilty of an offence under this section.
(2)Any person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £5,000 or, on conviction on indictment, to a fine.
(3)Proceedings for an offence under this section or section 6 of this Act may be taken in any sheriff court, and the offence dealt with by the sheriff in every respect as if the offence had been committed wholly within his jurisdiction.
(4)The court by or before which a person is convicted of an offence under this section may, in addition to imposing any penalty under subsection (2) above—
(a)order the forfeiture of any fish in respect of which the offence was committed or, alternatively, impose a fine not exceeding the value of such fish;
(b)order the forfeiture of any net or other fishing gear used in the commission of the offence,
and any fish or gear forfeited under this subsection shall be disposed of as the court may direct.