Hampshire Police have stepped up measures in a bid to crack down on fish poaching across the county.

Known in law as 'theft of fishing rights', or fishing without permission in an existing private fishery, is a criminal offence under Schedule 1 of the Theft Act 1968.

The initiative is particularly focused on the Test and Itchen rivers, whose wildlife-rich waters are a worldwide draw for anglers and are considered among the finest chalk rivers in Europe.

The rivers do attract wrongdoers who exploit the system for their personal gain. Such activities are harmful for legal fishermen and landowners who bank on lawful fishing activities for their business.

The force's country watch team is aiming to reduce such misdemeanours alongside partners including the Environment Agency and The Angling Trust under Operation Traverse.

On May 3, the team was part of a training session held by The Angling Trust in Eastleigh. The training mainly involved the identification of illegal traps, nets, rods and other fishing paraphernalia.

It further included the detection of suspicious activities and individuals around the river network, while the safekeeping of valid rod and fishing licenses was also emphasized.

Following the training, many licensed fishermen were encountered during patrols across rivers in the county. A man was also found fishing without a valid license in Romsey. He was directed to stop his activity and was reported to the Environment Agency for further proceeding.

Additional areas under surveillance included Totton and Broadlands along the River Test, and the Lower Itchen. While patrolling Lower Brook, the Compton Estate and Pittleworth, seven more people were caught fishing without a license and were subsequently reported.

PC Nick Atkins said: "The financial impact of fish poaching on landowners is significant and something that we as a police team and as a partnership work hard to tackle and reduce.

"It is a seasonal issue that we focus on every summer under Operation Traverse. We have refreshed the team’s training this year and will continue to actively patrol river networks, and work with riverkeepers and other partners to intercept fish poachers.

"We are already seeing annual increases of landowners making reports to us which helps with our intelligence gathering and ultimately any patrol activity and enforcement action."