BBC highlights canal pike tagging mystery

PAC members' concerns over a mystery tagger, who has been leaving pike festooned with cable ties, is highlighted by the BBC. More here.

EA launches "Devon blitz"

Environment Agency officers have been carrying out a blitz on illegal anglers during the bank holiday weekend, local papers report.

They have been visiting a number of sites including Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor and Rackerhayes Ponds, Newton Abbot.

"Money raised from rod licences is vital to the future of fish and other wildlife," said agency spokesman Martin Williams.

"It is put straight back into improving the environment through re-stocking, improving habitats and access to fishing."

Pike anglers in the area are now wondering whether slome of the money raised will be spent on investigating the activities of the illegal tagger disfiguring fish in the Grand Western Canal by festooning them with cable ties.

Illegal tagger targets Devon canal

Pike in Devon are being tagged illegally by having cable ties pushed through their backs.

Anglers on the Grand Western Canal, which stretches from Tiverton to the Somerset border, have caught numbers of small fish festooned with plastic fastenings.

Mystery surrounds why anyone would wish to mutilate fish in this way.

"I've been hearing about this for a while," said Exeter-based lure angler Steve Moore.

"I've only recently started fishing the canal again and we've probably already had eight of them."

Some fish have grown since having the tag inserted an one photograph taken by Steve shows a fish with festering sore.

Steve said the biggest tagged fish he had seen was around the 3lbs mark. The shallow canal, which has suffered water loss through leakage in some sections in recent seasons, is not regarded among the South-west's best pike fisheries.

"My own personal view is that someone's trying to determine what they've caught before," he said. "It's really getting our goat down here."

Tonight the Pike Anglers Club urged anglers who fish the water to remain vigilant and report anyone they see behaving suspiciously. The Environment Agency has been informed.

PAC chairman Colin Goodge said: "This is clearly amateurish and we would urge who ever is doing it to contact us.

"Pike anglers elsewhere identify fish and spot repeat captures by photographing them, since it is widely acknowleged that they all have unique and individual markings, much like human fingerprints.

"This could be a school or college project which has gone wrong for all we know, but whatever the reason we would urge those responsible to stop."

Devon PAC see out the year in style

Exeter-based all-rounder Pete Gregory is doing the honours at a Devon PAC meeting on Monday night (Jan 8).

He'll be talking about a year in the life of someone who fishes for coarse, sea and game fish,

Venue is the Swan's Nest, Exminster. The meeting starts at 7.30pm, admission £2.

For more info on events in Devon, click here.