Illegal fishing

SIR – Neil Addison (Letters, September 4) suggests that it is not fair to expect three Royal Navy boats to provide fisheries protection for all British waters.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contracts three aeroplanes from a company called FR Aviation to patrol our waters. If one of these planes spots illegal fishing, it contacts the nearest British Navy ship and directs it to the illegal boat.

This is an efficient method, saving wasted time for the Navy and also making it much more likely that the criminals are caught. Diana Smurthwaite

Newton Abbot, Devon