ENVIRONMENNNTAL watchdogs have warned they will take tough action against poachers on the River Esk in the North York Moors National Park.

The warning came after a Whitby man was given a 12 month community service order for illegally fishing for salmon and sea trout.

William Arthur Elwick, 53, of Abbot's Road, Whitby, was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work after being sentenced at Scarborough Court.

He had admitted two charges of gill net fishing without a licences after being caught red-handed in July last year at Ruswarp.

Chris Bunting, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told magistrates that enforcement officers had caught Elwick red-handed while they were carrying out night-time patrols on the Esk.

They spotted Elwick at Chainbridge Riverside Retreats, Ruswarp, and found he had a gill net stretched across the full width of the river. He added that they heard splashing at several points where the fish had become entangled.

Another net was found upstream near Briggswath. Police were called and Elwick was found hiding in a bush, said Mr Bunting.

He had 23 sea trout and two salmon which were seized along with his nets and other equipment.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said afterwards: “The Esk has a relatively small catchment and any significant illegal fishing activity will inevitably have a major impact on fish populations.

“Illegal netting poses a threat to the wider ecology of the Esk including the fresh water pearl mussels which rely on salmon and sea trout for their life cycle.”

A representative of the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust said: “Such crimes have a detrimental impact on the local economy, depriving those in the Esk Valley of the chance to make a legitimate income from salmon and sea trout."