Trout poachers be warned – ‘poacher cams' will catch you in the act – and at any hour of the day or night.

The broken off bard from a trout poacher's spear removed from the trout's back.

Eastern Fish & Game officers have seen a rise in the number of poaching incidents – caught on hidden, camouflaged cameras, being stationed at ‘hot spots' on some key spawning streams.

Fish & Game officer Anthony van Dorp says they're investigating a string of incidents, but he is declining to give the details for 'operational” reasons.

'What I can say is we've captured some excellent images and are now working with Police to identify the offenders – and we want to enlist the public to help stamp out the potential threat to the local economy.”

Anthony says Rotorua's world-renowned trout fisheries are always more sensitive during spawning season, which is now well underway. But the taking of spawning-trout can have a serious impact on future trout numbers. And poachers can trample on spawning beds, destroying eggs already laid in the stream, and seriously impacting future trout stocks from wild spawning.

'Our message to poachers is that you might think you've got away with it – but you never know when that knock on the door is going to come,” says Anthony.

'That trout you poached just isn't worth the repercussions you'll face if you're prosecuted – it could be the most horrendously expensive trout of your life.”

Poachers have been disqualified from driving by the courts; and can also have any vehicles used, during their illegal act, seized.

If caught, poachers face fines of up to $10,000 and one years' imprisonment, with judges adopting a hard line on such offending brought before them during recent years. Fish & Game staff are also frequently working with Police on anti-poaching operations.

The large trout with a spear wound to its back.

In a recent case, Fish & Game staff and Police seized a set net from an upper section of Ngongotaha River on Paradise Valley Rd, following a joint-surveillance operation. A suspect has been identified, and officers are continuing their enquiries.

'The suspect here probably thought he was on private property and had no idea he was being watched,” says Anthony. 'They have to realise the damage they are doing to the fishery, which generates a lot of income for the local economy through our trout fisheries and associated tourism.

Fish & Game officers were startled, when pulling a large trout out of their Lake Tarawera fish trap, to discover what they first thought was a fishing fly stuck in the fish's back.

On a closer examination they found a 90mm length of metal sticking out – which turned out to be a broken-off point of a poacher's spear.

'The poor fish had managed to escape with the barb still sticking into his flesh – the wound was quite fresh,” says Anthony. '(This is) yet another ugly example of poachers at work.”

Anthony is now encouraging the public to 'please help Fish & Game” by reporting suspicious or obviously illegal behaviour – by calling 0800 POACHING.

Nearly all Eastern Region fisheries remain open until the end of June, when some upper reaches of rivers close to protect spawning trout; and some lakes close to boat-based fishing. This gives fish a chance to grow and be in high numbers for the spring opening. Local regulations can be checked at the Fish & Game' website's Eastern pages.