NRW tackles illegal fishing over Easter break

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) enforcement officers were out and about over the Easter weekend, patrolling rivers for illegal fishing activity.

Acting on intelligence reports, the officers investigated a number of offences resulting in four anglers on the River Tywi facing enforcement action for using worms as bait in contravention of byelaws.

Other reported activities included netting and foul hooking and an illegal net was retrieved from the Rivers Nevern and Loughor.

Dave Mee, Freshwater Fisheries Lead Specialist Advisor for NRW, said:

“Fishing byelaws are in place to protect vulnerable fish stocks; illegal fishing can threaten the continued existence of certain species in Welsh rivers and we take all illegal fishing extremely seriously.

“All salmon must be returned to the water immediately to reduce the possibility of injury and there is no worm fishing for salmon permitted at any time.

“While our patrols act as a deterrent to illegal fishing, we have limited resources and so we increasingly rely on an intelligence-led approach to tackle the problem.

“if you see any suspicious or illegal activity, please report to NRW’s incident hotline on 0300 065 3000.”

Reports can be made anonymously and should include the following information:

• Where is/was the incident taking place? Please provide a grid reference if possible, otherwise, you should provide accurate directions / descriptions of the location.
• What is/was happening?
• Who is/was responsible for the incident?
• When did the incident take place?