A gang of poachers has been fined for trying to smuggle a large catch of crayfish from London's Hampstead Heath in the first case of its kind.
A red swamp crayfish Photo: PA
In a landmark hearing, Heath bosses prosecuted three crooks caught with two
carrier bags full of Red Swamp Crayfish following a midnight raid on the
ponds.
The lobster-like creatures, which are not native Heath dwellers, have bred at
an alarming rate and are now feared to top 5,000.
But removing or harming the aggressive crayfish, which have been blamed for
biting swimmers in the ponds, is a breach of Heath bylaws.
More and more people are believed to be stealing them from the Heath's waters.
But the City of London Corporation, which manages the open space, insisted
that this was an isolated incident.
One of the raiders, Julian Glowacki, 27, was fined £220 for snatching the crayfish.
Glowacki, of Kilburn Park, north London, told the Ham&High last night he had not planned to sell his catch on.
The crayfish poacher said: "My cousin wanted to put them in an aquarium. It's the first and last time I do that."
Heath Constabulary officers spotted the three men with their lines out on Hampstead number two pond – a designated fishing site – on June 18, Highbury Corner magistrates, court heard.
The trio admitted they did not have licences to fish and were told to move on. But just after midnight the villains were spotted again at nearby Hampstead number one pond armed with a large fishing net.
Lawyer Philip Saunders, acting for City of London Corporation, said they were found with a large carrier bag of pond life with other crayfish crawling around by their feet.
All three were cautioned.
Officers searched their car and seized a second bag, teaming with more of the crustaceans.
Mr Saunders, who admitted this was a fairly unusual case, said: "When the officers returned them (crayfish) to the water they noticed that some had perished."
The bylaw states: "No person shall in any open space wilfully disturb any animal grazing or shall harry, ill-treat, or injure or destroy any animal, bird or fish, or take or attempt to take any animal, bird, fish or egg or set any trap."
Riko Glowacki, 19, of Upper Edmonton, and Wladislaw Grabowski, 23, of Ealing, north London, were each fined £285 after they admitted breaking the rules.
A City of London spokesman said only two students had been granted licences to catch crayfish for research purposes but it did not issue them for people to fish commercially.
“The City of London Corporation’s ecology and conservation specialists tightly control the red-swamp crayfish populations in Hampstead Heath’s ponds," he said.
"Whilst we do licence crayfish extraction for research, we don’t issue licences for commercial purposes.
"It must be remembered that this species is a non-native, very invasive species that causes great ecological damage outside their native range.
"Indeed red swamp crayfish have been introduced – both deliberately and accidentally - into many other places in the UK where they have caused problems for pond and waterway ecology.
"They are now widespread in Europe and have caused numerous problems for native wildlife and water quality. We must ensure that members of the public do not introduce them elsewhere.”
The red swamp crayfish, also known as the Louisiana crawfish, is native to the US and Mexico and was first recorded in Hampstead ponds in 1991. Several other populations have been identified elsewhere in Britain.
Measuring up to 3.5in, they are omnivorous and known for their aggressive behaviour. ŠThey mate in spring and females can lay up to 600 eggs at a time.
They threaten the survival of the native white claw crayfish and are said to be destroying fish stocks in the ponds.
One theory is that they were dumped in the Hampstead ponds, but individuals can also be dropped by herons or other large birds.
They can travel long distances over land to reach water, nearly two miles in a night having been recorded.
One of the raiders, Julian Glowacki, 27, was fined £220 for snatching the crayfish.
Glowacki, of Kilburn Park, north London, told the Ham&High last night he had not planned to sell his catch on.
The crayfish poacher said: "My cousin wanted to put them in an aquarium. It's the first and last time I do that."
Heath Constabulary officers spotted the three men with their lines out on Hampstead number two pond – a designated fishing site – on June 18, Highbury Corner magistrates, court heard.
The trio admitted they did not have licences to fish and were told to move on. But just after midnight the villains were spotted again at nearby Hampstead number one pond armed with a large fishing net.
Lawyer Philip Saunders, acting for City of London Corporation, said they were found with a large carrier bag of pond life with other crayfish crawling around by their feet.
All three were cautioned.
Officers searched their car and seized a second bag, teaming with more of the crustaceans.
Mr Saunders, who admitted this was a fairly unusual case, said: "When the officers returned them (crayfish) to the water they noticed that some had perished."
The bylaw states: "No person shall in any open space wilfully disturb any animal grazing or shall harry, ill-treat, or injure or destroy any animal, bird or fish, or take or attempt to take any animal, bird, fish or egg or set any trap."
Riko Glowacki, 19, of Upper Edmonton, and Wladislaw Grabowski, 23, of Ealing, north London, were each fined £285 after they admitted breaking the rules.
A City of London spokesman said only two students had been granted licences to catch crayfish for research purposes but it did not issue them for people to fish commercially.
“The City of London Corporation’s ecology and conservation specialists tightly control the red-swamp crayfish populations in Hampstead Heath’s ponds," he said.
"Whilst we do licence crayfish extraction for research, we don’t issue licences for commercial purposes.
"It must be remembered that this species is a non-native, very invasive species that causes great ecological damage outside their native range.
"Indeed red swamp crayfish have been introduced – both deliberately and accidentally - into many other places in the UK where they have caused problems for pond and waterway ecology.
"They are now widespread in Europe and have caused numerous problems for native wildlife and water quality. We must ensure that members of the public do not introduce them elsewhere.”
The red swamp crayfish, also known as the Louisiana crawfish, is native to the US and Mexico and was first recorded in Hampstead ponds in 1991. Several other populations have been identified elsewhere in Britain.
Measuring up to 3.5in, they are omnivorous and known for their aggressive behaviour. ŠThey mate in spring and females can lay up to 600 eggs at a time.
They threaten the survival of the native white claw crayfish and are said to be destroying fish stocks in the ponds.
One theory is that they were dumped in the Hampstead ponds, but individuals can also be dropped by herons or other large birds.
They can travel long distances over land to reach water, nearly two miles in a night having been recorded.
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