Post by Hoppy on Jul 26, 2006 21:17:24 GMT -1
Anti-poaching crackdown brings illegal netsmen to book
Environment Agency officers in Dorset have caught their third gang of poachers in as many weeks in the latest crackdown on illegal netting.
Salmon and sea trout are especially vulnerable to poachers as they swim along the Dorset coast and enter local harbours and rivers. The use of nets is strictly controlled by the Environment Agency under the Salmon and Freshwaters Fisheries Act 1975.
Fisheries officers stage regular anti-poaching patrols and notched up their first success earlier this month when they netted three men illegally fishing on the River Piddle. The offenders had set a fixed net across the river at a point where it flows into Poole Harbour.
A police helicopter was called to assist with the operation and hovered overhead while the suspects were questioned. Their net and fish, that included around a dozen mullet and bass, were seized.
A week later officers swooped on a gang of six people illegally netting sea trout in the River Sherford that drains into Poole Harbour. Two sea trout, nets and a boat used by the poachers were confiscated.
The biggest success came off West Bay near Bridport last week where poachers had set a series of illegal nets in the sea to catch migrating fish. Officers kept a suspect boat under surveillance and then apprehended the offenders after they returned to port. The vessel was boarded and searched and 16 sea trout discovered hidden inside the boat. The fish were seized along with the nets.
‘Salmon stocks in Dorset Rivers are at a critical level and it is vital these fish are allowed to continue their migration without being caught. Our local sea trout population also needs to be protected from illegal exploitation,’ said Kevin Parsons for the Environment Agency.
‘We will not tolerate the deliberate setting of nets to target salmon and sea trout in these locations where they are known to be vulnerable. These latest anti-poaching successes clearly demonstrates the determination of our bailiffs to detect those who flout the law.’
Environment Agency officers in Dorset have caught their third gang of poachers in as many weeks in the latest crackdown on illegal netting.
Salmon and sea trout are especially vulnerable to poachers as they swim along the Dorset coast and enter local harbours and rivers. The use of nets is strictly controlled by the Environment Agency under the Salmon and Freshwaters Fisheries Act 1975.
Fisheries officers stage regular anti-poaching patrols and notched up their first success earlier this month when they netted three men illegally fishing on the River Piddle. The offenders had set a fixed net across the river at a point where it flows into Poole Harbour.
A police helicopter was called to assist with the operation and hovered overhead while the suspects were questioned. Their net and fish, that included around a dozen mullet and bass, were seized.
A week later officers swooped on a gang of six people illegally netting sea trout in the River Sherford that drains into Poole Harbour. Two sea trout, nets and a boat used by the poachers were confiscated.
The biggest success came off West Bay near Bridport last week where poachers had set a series of illegal nets in the sea to catch migrating fish. Officers kept a suspect boat under surveillance and then apprehended the offenders after they returned to port. The vessel was boarded and searched and 16 sea trout discovered hidden inside the boat. The fish were seized along with the nets.
‘Salmon stocks in Dorset Rivers are at a critical level and it is vital these fish are allowed to continue their migration without being caught. Our local sea trout population also needs to be protected from illegal exploitation,’ said Kevin Parsons for the Environment Agency.
‘We will not tolerate the deliberate setting of nets to target salmon and sea trout in these locations where they are known to be vulnerable. These latest anti-poaching successes clearly demonstrates the determination of our bailiffs to detect those who flout the law.’