Why it’s vital we fish out illegal practices

ON APRIL 23 Fisheries Officers on a routine patrol of Lough Derg on the Shannon came across a party of French anglers fishing for pike from boats.

They investigated and discovered the anglers were using small live carp as bait. The carp had been imported from France.

This is illegal on a number of counts. Using live fish of any kind as bait in fresh water is banned in this country. This isn’t just because it’s inhumane, it’s to prevent the baits escaping and introducing alien species. It’s also illegal to import live fish into this country, or to transport them from one water body to another within the country, without a special licence.