This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Two men have been convicted for the possession of illegal nets and the use of a boat in the commission of an offence on Galway’s River Clare.

The case was taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland whose officers apprehended Simon Comerzan and Mihai Senchiea both of Mullingar Co. Westmeath with two monofilament gill nets and the small craft.

The case was heard at Galway District Court with Simon Comerzan and Mihai Senchiea each instructed to pay €750 in fines, and to pay €400 in legal costs to IFI.

The incident occurred on June 15th last year at the height of the seasonal salmon run in the region’s rivers.

Dr Rachel Cooper, IFI’s regional director in Galway says illegal nets can pose a serious threat to fish populations, such as protected Atlantic salmon, as they return along rivers to spawn.