A SUSPECTED poacher was arrested and two remain at large after an incident in which ready-to-spawn sea trout were killed.

Environment Agency officers arrested a 27-year-old man on suspicion of poaching sea trout on Waskerley Beck, Wolsingham, at about 9pm on Tuesday.

It is alleged that he was one of three people that used an illegal gaff, a one meter long metal hook, to take 13 sea trout.

Of the dead fish, 11 were females ready to spawn and between them they were carrying around 35,000 eggs.

During the operation they seized the gaff, the dead fish and a landing net. The investigation is ongoing.

The Environment Agency’s Kevin Summerson said: “This level of illegal activity could have a serious impact on the sustainability of future stocks of sea trout in the River Wear.

“That’s why we take reports of suspected poaching seriously and work closely with the police to take action where appropriate.

“At this time of year salmon and sea trout are returning to rivers to spawn and protecting returning fish is vital to maintaining a healthy fish population.

“We’ll continue to target all aspects of illegal fishing activity, particularly where serious illegal and potentially damaging methods are used.”

The Environment Agency has urged anyone with information to report it to their incident hotline, on freephone 0800-807060.

All income from the sale of rod licences, which can be bought online or at the Post Office, is used to fund Environment Agency work to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries.