The fought the law but the.... law won.
Authorities have caught two men attempting to illegally import a large number of sturgeon into the UK without the correct documentation.
Fish health inspectors from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) have reported two men to the authorities for attempting to illegally import over a hundred sturgeon.
Ten boxes containing over 140 Diamond sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, were seized last week during a surveilance operation.
The men were caught in a car park in Ashford, Kent, when they were witnessed unloading the boxes from a delivery vehicle into a waiting van.
When the boxes were opened, inspectors found over 140 sturgeon ranging from 7-22g in weight and 11-18cm in length.
The fish were taken to the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science's laboratories in Weymouth, Dorset, to be recorded as evidence and then humanely destroyed.
The sturgeon are believed to have originated from a farm in the Czech Republic and were transported to the UK via the Channel Tunnel.
CEFAS said: "Many responsible fish farmers follow the rules for the legal importation of non-native fish to the UK.
"Although fish smuggling has been significantly reduced in recent years, there is still a very small minority of individuals who are prepared to take risks."
Earlier this year, scientists claimed that fisheries in the UK were illegally stocking their waters with sturgeons acquired through the ornamental fish trade.
Retailers need to hold a special licence to sell the species, but the fish are covered by a general licence, which means that it is legal for them to be kept in aquaria and enclosed ponds by the general public.
Authorities have caught two men attempting to illegally import a large number of sturgeon into the UK without the correct documentation.
Fish health inspectors from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) have reported two men to the authorities for attempting to illegally import over a hundred sturgeon.
Ten boxes containing over 140 Diamond sturgeon, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, were seized last week during a surveilance operation.
The men were caught in a car park in Ashford, Kent, when they were witnessed unloading the boxes from a delivery vehicle into a waiting van.
When the boxes were opened, inspectors found over 140 sturgeon ranging from 7-22g in weight and 11-18cm in length.
The fish were taken to the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science's laboratories in Weymouth, Dorset, to be recorded as evidence and then humanely destroyed.
The sturgeon are believed to have originated from a farm in the Czech Republic and were transported to the UK via the Channel Tunnel.
CEFAS said: "Many responsible fish farmers follow the rules for the legal importation of non-native fish to the UK.
"Although fish smuggling has been significantly reduced in recent years, there is still a very small minority of individuals who are prepared to take risks."
Earlier this year, scientists claimed that fisheries in the UK were illegally stocking their waters with sturgeons acquired through the ornamental fish trade.
Retailers need to hold a special licence to sell the species, but the fish are covered by a general licence, which means that it is legal for them to be kept in aquaria and enclosed ponds by the general public.
