At Newbiggin by the Sea, Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers detained one man on suspicion of sea trout poaching.
At Lyne Sands, north of Newbiggin by the Sea, Fisheries Enforcement Officers from the Environment Agency detained a man on suspicion of sea trout poaching and recovered an unlawful fishing net.
On June 30, 2022, around 8:20 a.m., officers conducting targeted patrols made the arrest. A dead sea trout and an unlawful gill net measuring 8 m x 3 m were taken during the operation. The investigation is still ongoing.
David Shears, Senior Fisheries Enforcement Officer for the Environment Agency, said:
“Unattended and unlicensed gill nets are not only capable of killing fish indiscriminately, they will also kill any other wildlife that are unfortunate enough to get entangled in them
“This incident highlights how vital it is for people to provide information to us and demonstrates that we will take action. We actively patrol the rivers and coastline around the North East and we continue to target all aspects of illegal fishing activity, particularly where potentially damaging methods are used.”
Off the coast of Northumberland, a licenced, tightly controlled, and managed sea trout fishery is in operation. Local bylaws are in place to ensure that sea trout may only be taken by a specific number of licenced netsmen, during the authorised season (26th March to 31st May). In the North East, it’s also prohibited to catch salmon with nets.
Unlicensed net operators run the possibility of being prosecuted, and Environment Agency inspectors have the authority to seize equipment and vehicles in addition to the courts’ unrestricted ability to impose fines and potential prison terms.
You can contact the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline at 0800 80 70 60 with information on unlawful fishing.