Do Not Mess With Fish 292,

and you thought fish were fun!

photograph Jam River Trent Sturgeon A, well it was fun when angler Dave Howarth was fishing on the River Trent and hooked the 48lb (21.7kg) sturgeon, the last recorded UK sturgeon was found in the River Tywi, in Carmarthenshire, south Wales, in 1993, they were once common in UK rivers, but dirty rivers and other pressures virtually wiped them out, there are strict rules in place if a sturgeon is caught in British waters, and it is an offence to land one of the fish with specific permission from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The UK Government said: 'It is important that any live fish are immediately returned to the sea unharmed. Due to the critical state of common sturgeon population numbers, the survival of each fish is essential.' If a live fish is caught it must be released and the following organisations should be contacted: the MMO's local office, Cefas and Receiver of the Wreck, which acts on behalf of the crown in relation to "royal fish", could this be a sign that the River Trent is getting cleaner?  I hope so, as mentioned the Sturgeon is a 'a royal fish' every one caught dead or alive in UK waters must first be offered to the Royal household, the full article is here.