Officials patrol rivers to stop Eastern Europeans eating carp

It is not considered very tasty, and laws prevent coarse fishermen killing more than two a day.

But for the Eastern European angler, who regards the fish as a delicacy, it is a prized catch.

And immigrants are catching them illegally - on a massive scale.

Unused to British fishing customs, they see no sense in throwing them back in the water when they can be taken home and eaten instead.

And they are catching so many that the Environment Agency has now set up anti-poaching patrols to give the fish some much-needed protection.

Under current laws, anglers are allowed to kill just two freshwater coarse fish a day using a rod and line, and need a £24 fishing licence to do so.

Using large nets or fixed-rod lines to catch large numbers of fish is illegal and can result in fines of up to £2,500.

But their use has rocketed since large numbers of immigrants arrived from Poland and other Eastern European countries.

Groups of men have been seen spotted stretching nets across canals, walking along the bank and taking fish from entire stretches of water.

They also plan to educate foreign fishermen who may be unaware of the carp's protected status.

Angling Times editor Richard Lee said yesterday: "[The problem] has arisen because a lot of eastern Europeans do not fish for pleasure, but for the table."

"There is a lot of frustration because it seems little can be done and there is a fear people will take things into their own hands."

"If these people were made aware of the rules most would toe the line. It is a matter of education."

Angler Martin Read, who fishes in South Yorkshire, added: "It is a problem which is spreading all over the country since the influx of east European migrants."

"Back home if they want to eat fish they simply go and catch it."

"Over here they find plenty of canals and ponds but the rules are different and netting is illegal."

"They are catching fish to eat because it is cheap and it is what they are used to doing back home."

Earlier this year police in Hertfordshire arrested four immigrants seen with a spear gun near a lake stocked with protected carp.

The rivers most affected by illegal fishing are the Thames and the Nene in Cambridgeshire, but problems have been reported at most rivers, and prosecutions for serious fishing crimes have tripled in three years.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "We are taking measures to educate people."

"In addition to water bailiffs we have recently introduced enforcement officers who are fully trained and equipped to tackle serious fishing crime including anti-poaching patrols."

"They will also be used in regions that have high rod licence evasion levels or a history of hostility."

"We are also stepping up education about fisheries law throughout the community."

Many well-known fishing spots have signs in various languages, including Polish and Cantonese, informing fishermen of the law.

Carp is the UK's largest freshwater fish. It is prized in Poland and served at Christmas, fried with potatoes and vegetables.