ONE of the county’s oldest crimes is making a comeback to be targeted by 21st century technology.

A new generation of poachers is being blamed for the low wild salmon numbers in the Wye over the past two years.

Now the Environment Agency (EA) is setting up covert hi-tech surveillance along the length of the river to catch the poachers out.

A fresh 20lb freshwater salmon can fetch upwards of £300 and find eager buyers on the black market.

But the numbers of trout, pike and barbel are also said to have dropped as a result of the illegal fishing.

The Wye is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which means it is illegal to catch fish for food.

EA officers have seized huge quantities of illegal fishing nets and poles hidden along the banks of the river over the last three months.

Each net is capable of catching dozens of fish, particularly salmon running upstream to spawn, in one go. Chris Ponsford, who works for the EA crime team, said poaching on the Wye was “a big problem”.

“What they're doing is very illegal, there are very strict regulations governing what you can and cannot take from rivers,” said Mr Ponsford.

“Some of the operations are bigger and the fish are being sold on. If these guys are taking maybe one or two fish a day, it doesn't take long for them to have a big impact on a stretch,” he said.

The EA is now stepping up patrols and using covert intelligence gathering along the river banks in a bid to catch poachers in the act.

“It's an uphill battle but we have a variety of methods to combat fish poaching,” said Mr Ponsford.

“These include regular patrols during the day and night as well as at weekends.

We also have boats and surveillance equipment.”

EA officers are effectively environment police and have powers of arrest. Repeat offenders could be given fines of up to £2,500 by the courts.