A fisheries manager says the coronavirus crisis has been “a nightmare” with reservoirs in Fife and Perthshire plagued with poaching, fly tipping, and anti-social behaviour during the lockdown.
Alexander Wyness, who manages Lomond Hill Fishery close to Leslie and Castlehill reservoir near Glendevon, said deer have been killed and gutted and the remains thrown into waterways, as well as fridge freezers, mattresses and household rubbish dumped at his sites.
In one instance a buried cat had to be dug up and removed for fear it would contaminate the water.
He said the fisheries have also been targeted by people ignoring the lockdown to go camping, damaging trees and leaving rubbish in their wake.
“The lockdown has been a nightmare and every day we’ve had to deal with problems,” said Mr Wyness.
“I’ve had trouble with poachers, had to drag a fridge freezer out of one reservoir and remove a mattress from another.
“All of our reservoirs act as local water sources yet we have had people abusing them.
“We’ve had to drag bags of household waste which included babies nappies from the water as well as deer carcasses.”
Mr Wyness said poaching has as been rife since the lockdown was introduced in March.
Both reservoirs are popular destinations with anglers, particularly those looking to catch trout and pike.
“For the last three years we’ve had a concerted effort to protect pike stocks yet we’ve witnessed a lot of poaching and people attempting to kill pike at our sites.
“We’ve had the police called out on several occasions because of anti-social behaviour.
“Two nights ago we were on the verge of calling the emergency services after two swimmers were thought to be in distress.
“We later found that they were training for a triathlon but when they were asked to leave they just carried on.”
He now fears the problem could be made worse as restrictions on fishing are lifted as part of the Scottish Government’s easing of the lockdown.
“Unless we get strict social distancing guidelines the sheer number of people could create further risks of contracting covid-19,” he said.
“We’ve received financial support from the the government and while we’d love to be open in normal circumstances, I’d happily see the restrictions continue for a while yet rather than risk a second spike in infections.
“We just need the public to stay away while the lockdown continues.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland, said: “The Scottish Government’s guidance is clear – people should only leave the house for very limited purposes, for example for basic necessities, such as food and medicine, for exercise, for medical needs or travelling for work which cannot be done at home.
“Our officers will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation, encourage compliance and will use enforcement only as a last resort.”
