Illegal Carp Imports

<u>PRESS RELEASE FROM THE EA</u>INSPECTORS from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) were called in to support HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers based at Coquelles, near Calais, France, when they stopped a consignment of fish at the Eurotunnel on December 9.As part of the operation, the HMRC officers detained a van containing 45 live carp – each weighing between 20 and 35 pounds, which were being imported into the UK from France last Sunday afternoon.Fish Health Inspectors (FHIs), based at Cefas, interviewed the driver on his arrival at Folkestone, Kent. He was found to be attempting to import live fish without any fish health certification, which is legally required under the Fish Health Regulations 1997.

As the driver was unable to produce the required fish health certificate, the fish were confiscated and humanely slaughtered to prevent the potential spread of disease to UK waters. Samples taken from the consignment are being examined at the Cefas laboratory in Weymouth, Dorset. The FHI checks that such fish do not carry diseases that could seriously impact on the health of native fish.Four agencies were involved in Sunday’s successful operation. Besides HMRC officers at Coquelles and the Fish Health Inspectors, Kent Police at Longport and Animal Health Inspectors from Dover also lent their assistance. This is the third occasion in recent months that live carp imports, without the appropriate certification, have been intercepted in multi-agency operations.Stephen Maidment, a FHI enforcement officer, commented: “This was good work by HM Revenue and Customs, who called us in to investigate the matter.”He continued: “It only takes one consignment of diseased fish to bring about widespread mortalities at fisheries across the country. This operation once again illustrates how government agencies have progressed in their efforts to prevent illegal live fish imports.”

A man from Erith, Kent, has been reported for the offence of introducing into Great Britain live fish, namely Cyprinus Carpio (carp), when they were not accompanied by valid movement documents (ie, a health certificate) contrary to Regs11(1) of the Fish Health Regulations 1997. The matter is likely to be considered by magistrates in the New Year.

I hope they distributed the corpses to needy eastern Europeans for their Christmas festivities. /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

"I hope they distributed the corpses to needy eastern Europeans for their Christmas festivities"

probably queuing at the tunnel entrance.

.

Well done the EA and though it upsets me to say it, well done Customs also.

.

AAaaagggghhhh! I want to be sick now.

Three occassions in recent months........... This must indicate the scale of illegal fish imports. I wonder how big his fine will be... £50?

£50 per pound (lb) would be better.

45 fish at a minimum of 20lb each, er....

£45'000.00

Unlikely I suppose. Good work by the relevent authorities though, it must be a nightmare trying to stop illegal imports of any kind. A thankless task if ever there was one.

Reckon they could humanely despatch some of these illegal immigrants too?????

Fair play to those invo;ved for stopping these fish from possibly infecting our waters. Trouble is, certain groups will jump on this and try to use it inanti-angling crap! In fact, its a wonder the PC brigade et al, didnt protest at the killing of these fish, lets face it, its one of the only times those facists do anything!

..... The FHI (Fish Health Inspectors) checks that such fish do not carry diseases that could seriously impact on the health of native fish........

So, why didn't the FHI check the fish? They could have quarantined them until they were deemed ok - or not. And if ok they could have been put in a UK water as a freebee. The importer could, and should, still be prosecuted. Seems a shame that the fish should be destroyed for want of a bit of paperwork, it must have taken a fair while for them to reach that size.

The only trouble with doing that is the cost incurred which would be paid by us as anglers/taxpayers, plus wouldn't it give the green light to idiots who are doing this. They'd think, 'well, thats ok, we'll illegally import fish, CEFAS etc. will take them away, once cleared they'll end up in a water nearby anyway'..........just a thought.

Personally, I think the best policy is to destroy them, sad though it is to see fish like that being put down.

They could kill this fish after they done checks, if they got any disease, and i think there wuld be a lot of clubs, who wuld like to buy them even at half price.

And why do you need to bring eastern Europeans on every topic?

Reckon they could humanely despatch some of these illegal immigrants too?

What's immigration got to do with it, Steve? As I have said many times on this forum, we gob opff about immigrants knocking a few 5lb carp while our home-bred scum do this all the time. The chances of them being caught are next to none.

I've watched while waters which didn't have carp have suddenly got 20s and 30s. 'Oooh, look,' say the owners, who haven't got any section 30s, 'look how well the carp have done.' We all know they've been either pinched from other fisheries or bought abroad and illegally imported.

Wake up and smell the coffe folks, these people are the real criminals, and we endorse it by fishing their holes in the ground.

I wasnt actually saying anything about immigration being the cause of it, just using it as a futile attempt at being a git towards illegals (the link between the two is both over here without proper consent/being smuggled in etc.). And as regards to fishing so called holes in the ground, well, I tend to fish rivers more except whe I'm tenching in spring/summer. Occaisionally I'll fish a local water for carp (ie 2 times a year) which I know for 100% that they are legitimate fish, so no, I dont think I can be classed as endorsing this illegal behaviour. I totally agree that these fish smugglers are the real criminals and should be severly prosecuted and the fish destroyed. Thats my opinion, if anyone takes offence, then so be it I'm not apologising for airing my views, after all, opinions are like arseholes...everyone has one and alot of the time they stink!/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Fair dos, Steve. I just thought we were heading for familiar territory for a minute. Ever since I worked on AT in 1981, the brick pits and gravel pits round here have been plundered by pikeys and even some so-called carp experts, nicking all the decent fish to stock other people's or their own waters. I've seen six anglers at a time fishing one brick pit near here, doing a morning relay with the fish they've caught.

The gravel pits have at times been strewn with bungee rigs, and the amount of illegal fish trading has had to be seen to be believed. Every now and then, some fish thief will have a problem with his aeration and lose a whole tankful of coarse fish, and just dump them on the side of the road.

Even the 'legit' fish 'farms' are impossible to monitor - they legally net a ton of fish from a trout water then sell two tons from the stock pit. Teme barbel have been moved around, and Trent barbel too.

I well remember some moron with a 1/4-acre pit suddenly catching a huge cat from it and claiming it had grown on in there naturally. AT gullibly printed the whole story as gospel. Yet another French fish carted over here illegally. It has happened for 20 years, it's still happening, and we let it happen by never questioning how the commercials stock their holes in the ground. Even if we did, short of catching them at it or netting their waters we couldn't prove a thing.

Well-said mark! It’s easy to point fingers at others when actually England has had a problem of this kind for many years. Some European countries have Carp instead of turkey for their Christmas dinner. Now, who is in the wrong? Us for killing turkeys for the table or them for killing the carp? Is one more valuable then the other? Well, I don’t think so. If it’s tradition then who are we to knock it down?

What about others importing illegal cigarettes, food, alcohol etc. Should we blame illegal immigrants for this as well? Oh, not to forget cars which are stolen to order abroad and imported into England. The list can keep going.

Mark, cant say fairer than that matey. Makes ya think though, how many actually get through un-noticed????? A scary thing. And yep, the list is endless.