Sanctions for serious infringements
Article 44
1. Member States shall ensure that a natural person having committed or a legal person held liable for a serious infringement is punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative sanctions. 2. The Member States shall impose a maximum sanction of at least five times the value of the fishery products obtained by committing the serious infringement. In case of a repeated serious infringement within a five-year period, the Member States shall impose a maximum sanction of at least eight times the value of the fishery products obtained by committing the serious infringement. In applying these sanctions the Member States shall also take into account the value of the prejudice to the fishing resources and the marine environment concerned. 3. Member States may also, or alternatively, use effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal sanctions.