A man seen running from Aberaeron Harbour in the middle of the night has been left more than £1,100 out of pocket after admitting illegal fishing.
Fisheries enforcement officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) visited the harbour on February 24 after receiving an anonymous report that a net had been set in the area. When they arrived, they located a rope attached to a metal post on the harbour wall leading into the water, with floats consistent with those used on an illegal gill net visible across the channel.
Man caught hauling net from water
Hours later, at around 1am on February 25, 20-year-old Callum Matthewson was seen approaching the location of the net before hauling it from the water. When challenged by NRW officers, he ran from the scene before being stopped by another officer.
The net, approximately 25m in length and capable of spanning the width of the Aeron channel, was seized. Two flatfish were recovered from the net and returned to the water.
Court sentence and costs
Matthewson, now 21, of Tre Cregyn, Aberaeron, Ceredigion, appeared before Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, September 30, charged with using an illegal gill net to catch fish in the River Aeron without the necessary authorisation and without a valid fishing licence, contrary to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 days community rehabilitation and 85 hours community service. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs to NRW and a £114 victim surcharge.
Jeremy Goddard, NRW’s waste regulation and enforcement team leader, said: “We welcome this court sentence and guilty plea from Mr Matthewson. The use of gill nets is illegal. They can capture migratory fish species including salmon and sea trout and may also pose a risk to other wildlife. There is no licence or permit available authorising the taking of salmon or sea trout by this method in the River Aeron or any other Welsh river. Illegal fishing poses a risk to vulnerable fish stocks and undermines measures put in place to protect Wales' rivers and estuaries. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action where there is evidence that fisheries legislation has been breached.”
