Fishing offences triple over lockdown

THE number of Scots caught fishing illegally more than tripled last year, figures show, as more people took it up during lockdown.

But many novices seem to have been caught out by Scotland’s idiosyncratic fishing laws.

A Scottish Police Authority report showed that offences relating to salmon and freshwater fishing rose to 107 in the past 12 months, from 28 the previous year.

In England and Wales, anglers can obtain a government permit to fish in almost any unprotected waters, but in Scotland there is no such centralised system. Instead, anglers must get a private permit from the owners of the waters they want to fish in, including from private landowners, fishing associations or angling clubs.

Scotland’s waters are also divided into ‘fishing districts’, with different ‘close’ times, when fishing is not allowed. Some ban angling for up to six months.

Under the Scottish Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 2003, in many parts of the country it is also a crime to fish for migratory fish, such as salmon, on a Sunday.

A Police Scotland report said the surge in fishing offences had been down to a range of factors, including the pandemic.

The data also showed that the number of offences relating to wildlife in general almost doubled in the past year from 159 to 268, including illegal disturbance, destruction, theft, sale of animals and plants and the destruction or damage to protected habitats.

Last night, Detective Chief Superintendent

Gary Cunningham, lead for wildlife crime, said: ‘Wildlife crime has an enormous impact not only on our natural heritage but also on those communities that rely on the employment and tourism it brings.

‘Investigating wildlife crime requires specialist skills. Earlier this year we introduced a new training course to build our capability and to enhance the skills and knowledge of our officers.

‘We also ask the public to be aware and if they see anything suspicious, to report it to us.’