A poaching case was the first case heard at Berwick Magistrates Court after the court re-opened last month, having been suspended since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020.

Mr Keith Danny Robertson pleaded guilty to all three offences of fishing using an illegal method, possession of fish and obstruction. The court made a forfeiture and destruction order in respect of the salmon, the gill net and the bag and fined him £645 and also ordered him to pay a contribution towards prosecution costs.

Clerk to the RTC Jamie Stewart said: “ Wild Atlantic salmon is Scotland’s most iconic fish, but stocks are dwindling. Salmon poaching is a wildlife crime and can impact on the breeding stocks as they return from their marathon migration to lay the future stock in our rivers. “The River Tweed Commission are committed to taking appropriate prosecutorial action against those found to have been involved in such offences in our catchment.”

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