Spanish man in tuna arrest

Police yesterday arrested a Spanish man on suspicion of illegally fishing for tuna in Gibraltar waters.

The man, aged 55, was arrested for obstructing police and fishing without a valid permit within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and was subsequently bailed.

The arrest relates to an incident dating back to October 12, 2015, when the man – the owner of the vessel but at the time travelling as passenger - together with another male, the navigator, failed to comply with requests from Marine Protection Officers who had challenged the man over suspected illegal tuna fishing activity.

Royal Gibraltar Police officers attended the scene in support of their colleagues but were obstructed by the Spanish vessel’s occupants, who navigated dangerously whilst being pursued and made good their escape towards Spain.