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Eye Green Nature Reserve: Police hunt for cruel poachers
THE net is closing in on illegal poachers at Eye Green Nature Reserve lake who are using "cruel" methods to catch fish.
THE net is closing in on illegal poachers at Eye Green Nature Reserve lake who are using "cruel" methods to catch fish.The popular lake at the nature reserve, near Peterborough, is packed with carp, pike, tench and rudd – but it is carp – a delicacy for some – that are being targetted.
And the poachers are cruelly using lines tied to trees and left all night – meaning a slow death for the fish, while moorhens, swans and other weed feeders are easily caught up and left trapped for hours.
As the cruel practice has become more prevalent – along with snares being discovered and comings and goings at all hours of the night, scores of worried residents in nearby Pershore Way, in Eye, have bombarded rural police community support officer Elaine Buddle with calls.
Have you seen evidence of poaching in your area?
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And the eagle-eyed unofficial reserve neighbourhood watch has even noted down suspicious car and van number plates.
Now PCSO Buddle has called in the expertise of the crack Rural Community Action Team (RCAT), which has stepped up night patrols in the area in a bid to catch the thieves red-handed as fears mount that the poaching could escalate.
PCSO Buddle said: "Residents in the area are really proud of the nature reserve and call me if they spot anything.
"Over the last few weeks they have noticed comings and goings at different times and have been giving us information on this.
"It's great to have the RCAT team to call on, as it has additional expertise in this area.
"We hope we can catch these people, who we think are fishing for personal use, before they move on from fish to other wildlife."
And Dan Richardson, senior reserves officer for The Wildlife Trust, which manages the nature reserve at Eye, revealed they had been battling the problem for some time.
He added: "For some time now our voluntary warden has been reporting the theft of large, valuable fish.
"To remove such fish from the lake is the equivalent of cutting down a 300 year-old oak tree.
"We are delighted local people are reporting these incidents, and hope that together with police intervention this illegal poaching can be stopped."
A spokesman for the Environment Agency, which is working with the police and local angling clubs, added: "We deplore the use of set lines which are a cruel and illegal form of fishing."
Now, community leaders in Eye are banding together to form a volunteers watch group.
Eye councillor David Sanders backed the move, saying: "We are calling a village meeting to see if people would be interested in volunteering
"This crackdown on poaching is a great example of the community working together and it should be applauded that residents really care about nipping it in the bud."
The public can report anything suspicious to the Environment Agency's incident line on 0800 80 70 60, police on 0845 456 4564, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555111
Related:
The Guide: Nature reserves and green spaces in and around Peterborough.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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