Caught! Illegal fisher puts salmon image on his socials

Rolands Bartkevics from Meifod, Powys, has been ordered to pay almost £1,000 after posting photographs of himself online with a salmon he caught illegally. Natural Resources Wales (NRW), investigated after a member of the public reported illegal fishing was happening on the river Banwy. 

During the investigation, which was carried out by both NRW enforcement officers and the Dyfed-Powys Police rural crime team, Bartkevics was found not to have had a valid fishing licence at the time he caught the salmon. NRW said Bartkevics conceded he had caught the fish in the pictures.

NRW waste and enforcement team leader in mid-Wales Jeremy Goddard said: “Salmon is an iconic species in Wales. Their presence in a river is an indicator of high environmental quality. As salmon are under significant pressure from many sources, they are very vulnerable to illegal fishing.

“Since 2020, rod and net fishing byelaws have meant that all salmon caught in Wales must be returned to the water alive and as quickly as possible.”

Bartkevics’s fines and costs totalled £984.