Emlyn Rees, from Cenarth in Ceredigion, kept a detailed log of his illegal catches. Over a seven-year period, 373 dated fish catch records were made detailing the number and weight of fish caught, including 989 sea trout and 302 salmon. The illegal fishing conducted by Rees and his colleagues between 2013 and 2020 resulted in the loss of an estimated 686,534 salmon eggs and more than two million sea trout eggs. On Friday, Swansea Crown Court ordered that £61,791.50 be confiscated due to the financial gains he made from his crimes. He was also fined £1,600 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs. But the court heard he was unable to pay, so he made a nominal payment of just £1. If he comes into any money or assets in the future, the rest of the debt will be seized. Rees, who previously pleaded guilty to illegal fishing charges brought by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), will also have his fishing equipment and nets confiscated. NRW said an investigation was launched after enforcement officers patrolled a section of the River Teifi near Cenarth and found a gill net had been illegally placed in the river. While monitoring the area overnight, a person wearing dark clothing was seen retrieving the net at 5am. That person was identified as Rees, someone already known to police and who had three previous convictions for illegal fishing offences. Although he fled the scene by jumping into the river, he was later arrested and his house was searched. Ann Weedy, NRW’s mid-Wales operations manager, said the impact of the operation was “scalar”. She added: “The sheer scale of the number of fish caught has undoubtedly led to a significant and unsustainable loss of reproductive potential. “From 2020, all salmon and large sea trout caught in Wales must be returned alive to the river to help protect these vulnerable stocks. “This case should serve as a warning to would-be offenders that we will pursue any case where there is evidence of wrongdoing and if we can demonstrate that a significant financial gain has been made, we will seek to seize that gain.” Sergeant Esther Davies said 25 police officers and nine NRW officers were involved in the sting operation. It targeted seven properties in the Cardigan area linked to people believed to be involved in the illegal fishing and acquisition of salmon and sea trout or sea trout on an unprecedented scale. “Poaching has been a real issue on the Teifi River for many years and I hope that this investigation and the sentence handed down today strongly demonstrates our commitment to investigating wildlife crime and reassures the fishing and angling communities,” he added .
