Long walk home for fish thieves
Two poachers caught red-handed stealing fish from a Shropshire club water ended up with a long walk home this week after their car was seized by police.
At Telford AA’s Dandy Pool in Dawley, club members noticed a trio of Eastern European anglers acting suspiciously.
“They were catching carp, killing them, and sending a young lad into the trees to hide them in a bin bag,” reveals club vice chairman Jon Portman.
“Our secretary arrived with a team of bailiffs, confronted the anglers, and found two double-figure carp in a bag, as well as duck eggs they’d stolen from nests.”
The two carp unfortunatley did not survive the poachers
Police and Environment Agency officers discovered that the offenders had driven all the way from Wolverhampton using just a provisional driving licence.
“Their car was towed away and their tackle confiscated. Evidence is now being compiled in order to take them to court. Despite this incident, we are not tarring all Eastern Europeans with the same brush and we have a good relationship with the foreign members of our club,” Jon adds.
The poachers ended up without their vehicle or fishing tackle.
Bailiffing for Free Fishing
Fisheries across the land were hit by a rise in poaching incidents during lockdown, but now an initiative aimed at combating this increased threat to valuable fish stocks has been created.
Named Local Anglers Against Poaching, the scheme is the brainchild of electrician Greg McNally, who hopes it will support the work the Environment Agency and the police are doing in tackling fish theft.
“The idea is to get anglers to do a short patrol at their local fishery, in exchange for a few hours’ free fishing,” Greg tells us.
“Having people on the bank would no doubt help to deter any offenders, and if we encountered any, we could report them to the police and the EA.”
Greg has now set up a Facebook page where anglers who want to volunteer can meet fishery owners looking for help. Visit the Local Anglers Against Poaching page on Facebook to register your interest.
Would you patrol your fishery for free fishing?