Seven crayfish traps have been found on a river, prompting an appeal for the public to stay on the lookout for poachers.
The Environment Agency (EA) said the traps were discovered on the River Tees near Barnard Castle on 6 August.
Mark Rumble from the EA said an investigation into the nets was still ongoing and he called on the public to report anything that looked suspicious in rivers.
“While our team of enforcement officers are acting on information and intelligence to patrol North East rivers daily, they can’t be everywhere all at once,” he said. “We rely on the public’s vigilance.”
The EA team believed the nets were part of a commercial fishing operation as they were found in the same place all at once.
“There is a market value for crayfish,” he said.
Commercial trapping of crayfish for human consumption is not permitted in northern England because it can spread crayfish plague.
The disease is fatal to the endangered native white claw crayfish, it said.
EA official David Shears said: “Anyone wanting to fish for crayfish must contact the EA to apply for a permit first, and this is only approved under very specific circumstances.”
