A MAN has been handed a hefty fine after he went diving for scallops in protected water between Arran and the Holy Isle.
Lee MacPherson was slapped with a £4,175 penalty after he pleaded guilty to one charge in relation to the incident at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Thursday, October 10.
The 40-year-old, from John o' Groats, admitted committing the offence between November 29 and 30 last year at sea within the South Arran Marine Protected Area.
Commonly known as the 'no take zone' - which is within Lamlash Bay near to the Holy Isle - prosecutors said MacPherson was the master of a vessel within the area.
Court papers further stated that he went on to repeatedly fish for scallops by diving and by hand in the area, in contravention of the conservation order in place at the location.
The order is one which was put in place to safeguard rare, threatened, or nationally important species and habitats. It was enforced on Arran back in 2015.
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