Focus on illegal fish poaching

A NEW leaflet has been published providing information on illegal fish poaching.

It also advises members of the public on what to look out for and who to contact if something appears to be suspicious.

The leaflet was launched after the first face-to-face meeting of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Fin (fish poaching) group in three years.

Seamus Cullinan (Pictured), the Loughs Agency’s director of conservation and protections, is the new joint-chair of the group.

Mr Cullinan said, “Wildlife crime has been and continues to be a worrying trend in and around our catchment areas. Illegal activities can lead to pollution and have an adverse impact on fish stocks, so it has never been more important to ensure the public is aware of fishing regulations and the reporting mechanisms available.

“All of the bodies involved are hopeful that the launch of the ‘Watch out for Wildlife Crime’ leaflet will reinforce the message that illegal activity will not be tolerated in any capacity.”

Emma Meredith, the PSNI’s wildlife officer, said, “We take all wildlife crime extremely seriously and we are encouraging the public to be more aware of illegal fish poaching across Northern Ireland.

“The informative leaflet will help raise public awareness of what illegal fish poaching is and how we can help prevent it from happening in areas where we live and who it should be reported to. We are delighted to be involved in this partnership against wildlife crime group and we very much support our colleagues in Loughs Agency and DAERA on the work they do.”

The leaflet can be found at: http://www.wildlifecrimeni.org.