Some great News from the Eastern Daily Press

Four arrests in illegal angling swoop 29 May 2008

Police and Environment Agency officers found eels and perch being barbecued on the bank when they swooped on four men fishing illegally in the close season.

Other fish, including large tench, were being kept alive tethered to the bank with a clothes line threaded through their gills.

Passing boats raised the alarm on the River Wissey between Hilgay and Wissington on Sunday afternoon.

Three Russians and a Lithuanian man were arrested at the scene and taken to Downham Market police station for questioning. They are currently on police bail, pending a decision on whether to prosecute by the Environment Agency.

Two inflatable boats and an illegal gill net were confiscated, and fish which were still alive were retuned alive to the Wissey.

Angling groups have been campaigning to stop fish being removed in numbers for food from East Anglia's rivers.

The arrests come after a Crimestoppers-style hotline was launched in the Fens to gather information on incidents and enable patrols to be targeted, after talks between the EA, King's Lynn Angling Association and the Pike Anglers Club.

Det Sgt Chris Curtis, of Downham Market CID, said: "Persons caught committing this type of offence face not only the prospect of arrest and prosecution for offences of unlawfully taking or destroying fish, they also face the prospect of all their fishing equipment being confiscated and forfeited.

"The maximum punishment that can be awarded for these offences is three months imprisonment and or a fine."

Richard Ingham, a fisheries enforcement team leader with the Environment Agency, said: "We are working more and more closely with the police and local angling clubs to crack down on any such crime.

"We take all angling offences extremely seriously and are convinced that this kind of co-operation pays dividends."

Ashley Brown, secretary of King's Lynn Angling Association, said anglers and waterway users should report any suspicious activity.

It is illegal to fish for coarse fish like roach, tench and pike between March 15 and June 15 both days inclusive Bylaws on many stretches prohibit the removal of fish for food.

Anyone witnessing suspicious activity should call the EA's emergency number 0800 807060, while those with information about illegal fishing can call the Crimestoppers-style number 01480 483023.

I would like to thank the Eastern Daily Press for permission to reprint story.