A LLANELLI fisherman has hit out at fish thieves who he claims have been having illegal carp barbecues.

Secretary of Llanelli Carp and Coarse Fishing Club Simon Gibbs said there were big problems with people fishing illegally in the club’s ponds near Burry Port, by the Millennium Coastal Path.

And Mr Gibbs, who says it is part of a wider problem across Llanelli, put out a stern warning to the fish thieves.

“We are trying to catch them at the moment, this has been happening a lot.

“If anybody is caught stealing fish they will be charged under the theft act.

“Carp are worth a lot of money, when you are taking them from ponds and you don’t have a licence you can get done for taking fish.”

Mr Gibbs, who lives in Glanymor, Llanelli, said the club’s policy was catch and release, where anglers let the fish go after catching them instead of taking them home to eat.

Greedy

“People are going down there with Tesco value BBQs and catching the fish,” he said. “They’re getting absolutely greedy — as long as it’s got a heartbeat they’ll have it.”

Dyfed-Powys Police’s wildlife officer PC Adrian Ward said the issue was being taken seriously.

He said: “We have recently been made aware of concerns in relation to carp fish being removed from ponds near the Dyfatty Industrial Park by the water bailiff and Llanelli Carp Fishing Association.

“A meeting is due to take place imminently to discuss the matter and how to tackle the problem.”

A spokesman for the Environmental Agency said: “I don’t think we have had any reports of this issue. If no one has reported it to us we have no involvement.

“We do ask if anyone sees any illegal fishing to report it to our hotline on 0800 807060.”

And a council spokesman said the issue had been a problem in the past but was no longer an issue at any Millennium Coastal Park waters or county-owned ponds, possibly because carp stocks have been depleted.

laura.burnip@swwmedia.co.uk