Two men from Nottingham have been prosecuted after illegally fishing for crayfish.
Police officers from the Derbyshire Wildlife and Rural Crime Team watched the pair throwing traps into the River Derwent, Derby, and later found some signal crayfish had been caught.
The pair were spotted near the St Mary’s Bridge at around midnight on July 23, 2019.
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The defendants had modified plastic mushroom crates to make traps to catch signal crayfish. A chicken carcass was also discovered, which was being used as bait.
In a nearby vehicle officers found further crates and a coil of wire used to make the crayfish traps, while stacked under the bridge and in the River Derwent were other traps baited with chicken carcasses.
Xiao Chaun Zhang, 41, of Prospect Road, Nottingham, was fined £400 and ordered to pay £690 costs after appearing at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Monday (February 14).
Weiqui Lui, also 41, of Watermark Close, Nottingham, was fined £333 and ordered to pay costs of £683.
The pair were taken to court by the Environment Agency.
Following the verdict a spokesperson for the agency said: “This case shows how seriously the courts take these offences and we hope the high penalty will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of fishing for crayfish.
"Anyone wanting to fish for crayfish must contact the Environment Agency to apply for a permit first.
“Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized.
“Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, benefitting anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.”
Licences for crayfish fishing can be granted for commercial reasons, fisheries management and scientific research. Any angler aged 13 or over must apply for a licence.
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