An experienced coracle fisherman has pleaded guilty to illegally catching and selling a protected salmon from the Afon Teifi on the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire border.

Mark Dellar, aged 51, of Brynteifi, High Street, Cilgerran, who has fished professionally for over 20 years, appeared at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, 29 April.

Dellar pleaded guilty to breaching Section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986 by failing to correctly identify and release the fish. The law prohibits the killing, retaining, or selling of salmon in Welsh rivers due to their declining numbers.

He was given an unconditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Dellar was caught out after a Facebook post from the Pentre Arms in Llangrannog advertised a 16lb locally caught sewin on the menu on 6 July 2024.

The image, however, raised alarm bells with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers, who suspected the fish was actually a salmon.

NRW officers visited the hotel to investigate. The hotel’s owner and chef fully cooperated providing the fish cutlets, proof of purchase for the fish which cost £135, and a commercial carcass tag, which traced the fish back to Dellar. They had believed the fish was a sea trout (also known as sewin).

Further analysis confirmed the catch was in fact a 2.2+ age salmon: a fish that had spent two years in the river as a juvenile, then another two at sea before returning to the river to spawn.

In a voluntary police interview, Dellar claimed he believed the fish was a sea trout when he caught it the day before, on 5 July, 2024.

Jeremy Goddard, Team Leader for the mid Wales Waste and Enforcement Team, NRW, said: “The killing and sale of a prime adult salmon shows clear disregard for the law and for the health of our rivers. Mr. Dellar, with his years of experience, would know how to tell a salmon from a sea trout.

“With salmon numbers in serious decline, all netsmen and anglers are expected to release every salmon they catch. It’s a legal requirement and a crucial step to protect the species. Every spawning fish matters.

“We will continue to investigate similar offences and bring cases to court where appropriate.”

The Afon Teifi is one of six Welsh rivers protected under the Habitats Directive due to its internationally important salmon population.

Since 2020, strict byelaws in Wales have required all salmon caught, whether by rod or net, to be released unharmed.