A Problem For Commercial Fisheries - Fish Rustling

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Cows and horses have never been safe from the attentions of the rustlers. These thieves will steal any valuable animals. You would think that fish stock would be safe in their watery homes but this is not the case.

A typical modern carp fishery will want to have a wide range of fish sizes to suit anglers of all levels of experience. In order to attract the more experienced carp fisherman the fishery will need to contain a number of big fish for the specimen hunter who will be willing to pay well for the opportunity to catch them.

The world record for the common carp is a 94 pound mirror caught at Rainbow Lake near Bordeaux in France. The fish was well known to anglers having been caught several times before during the preceding years. It was named 'Briggs' after one of its captors and became a star in this particular fishery.

Having a fish like this in the fishery is a valuable asset and will attract anglers who will hope that the next time it is caught it will be a little heavier. It is a prime candidate for breaking the magic 100 pound record barrier within a year. The fishery owner will no doubt ensure that his security is adequate as the fish is now a bigger target for the thieves.

The fish rustlers will even risk their lives to steal these valuable fish. There have been instances reported where they fished a frozen lake, walking across thin ice to the gaps so that they could place their nets. They work in the dark and in hazardous conditions, just to take the fishery's stock. The stolen carp can survive transport for a long distance just wrapped in wet sacking, much further if carried in tanks of water. Some fishery managers will pay a lot for big fish and not question where they came from.

In the UK the Environment Agency is starting to clamp down on the fish rustlers. They are about to get powers that will allow them to remove and destroy any illegally stocked fish. No longer will it be easy for huge carp and non-native species such as catfish and sturgeon to be stocked to satisfy the short term financial interests of the black market angling industry.

This must be advantageous, as uncontrolled stocking causes the spread of deadly fish diseases such as Spring Viremia of Carp. Angling by its nature is an environmentally friendly sport, its biggest attraction is that it allows city dwellers and country folk alike to appreciate the outdoors. When a few crooks exploit the angling world in this way it spoils the sport for everybody else.

About the Author:
Mark Jenner is a keen angler enjoying all aspects of the sport. He spends most of his time in pursuit of trout, pike or carp as well as
o
ccasionally doing some sea fishing. His sport fishing web site reviews many items of game and
carp tackle
including
specimen carp fishing
rods and fishing flies.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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