A top coarse fishery has turned to social media to help catch poachers, and to alert other venues.
Frant Lakes in Kent posted the picture (above) with the statement: ‘This afternoon swimmer is part of an Eastern European five-strong team that has been reported to us for stealing fish here at Frant.”
The fishery also shared the registration number of an Audi estate car linked to the activities.
Frant Lakes owner Paul Bowman explained: “We decided to use social media to try to both deter and possibly apprehend the culprits. So far the post has been viewed 55,000 times and shared by over a thousand.”
Suspect activities at popular Frant Lakes fishery
Paul continued: “Many fine Eastern European anglers fish here but the Romanians who do this (stealing fish) seem to have no respect for the rules of the fishery or the law.
“They tend to have one English-speaking leader who buys the tickets for five of them then they are sometimes joined by others.
“They occupy a part of the lake away from the office then they secretly set up long lines with baited barbed hooks and they leave later after collecting the fish caught.
“This photo (of the swimming angler) was taken by a customer who spotted them in action.
“It is difficult for one bailiff to confront such a group on his own – even Environment Agency staff have started wearing knife-proof jackets – and it seems useless to report the matter to the police,
“I really don’t know what the answer is except to be more vigilant,” Frant Lakes boss Paul concluded.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH OR GOT SOME NEWS? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@ti-media.com – you could appear in the must-read print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE TO ANGLER’S MAIL PRINT MAG AT A LOW PRICE!
The best weekly print magazine, Angler’s Mail, can be delivered to you every single week.
Just subscribe to one of the top Sale deals online at our official website for magazine subs: magazinesdirect.com.
You’ll then get Angler’s Mail print magazine delivered to your door, anywhere in the world.
Discounted rates from just 98p per week (print) – and even less for the digital iPad/iPhone version!
You may also like to read these Angler’s Mail stories…
Net closes on poaching criminals
Jen Mun Lin of Sparkhill, Birmingham pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates Court to using an illegal method on the Gloucester…
Anglers group together to take on anti-poaching battle
They are furious the EA are seemingly doing nothing to stop Eastern Europeans taking prime carp, chub, perch and pike…
Poached to death!
AN Angler’s Mail reader has found so many illegal fish traps on his local canal that he is considering spending…
Squad start to tackle illegal fishing
The sport’s governing body, the Angling Trust, has just taken on six former police officers, who are anglers and with…