Coastguard confiscate 26 tonnes of illegal fish

Easter crackdown inspections in four regions

(ANSA) - Genoa, April 18 - Ligurian coast guard officers said Friday they had seized 26 tonnes of illegally traded fish during Easter inspections across northern Italy. Fish consumption surges on the Catholic Feast of Good Friday, when meat used to be banned and is still frowned on in some circles.

In all, as many as 18 violations of the strict laws governing the sale of fish were registered by the guards among fishmongers and wholesalers and altogether fines for as much as 79,000 euros were handed down, the coast guard said. Most of the fish was confiscated from three Chinese wholesalers in Milan while in Cuneo a fishmonger was fined for selling bullet tuna as red tuna. Also fined were a number of fishermen in Liguria while other inspections were carried out in Piedmont and Emilia Romagna as well as Lombardy.