Queen Turns Nose up at Sturgeon

The giant fish was sold to a restaurant for £ 700 at Plymouth’s fish market yesterday (Thursday) morning before police intercepted the sale.

Father-of-two Robert Davies, 27, of Llanelli, South Wales, offered the 9ft-long sturgeon, a royal fish, to the Queen after catching it in Swansea Bay yesterday.

A white sturgeon of 90lb from British Columbia

After receiving a fax from the head of the Royal Household saying he could ‘dispose of it as he saw fit’, he travelled to Plymouth to sell it at auction today.

But police were alerted by officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and halted the sale.

Mr Davies’ father and fellow fisherman Kevin Davies, 44, said the police inquiry was “absolutely crazy.”

He added: “We have really been left in the lurch. I telephoned the police personally, and they left me a bit in the dark.

“It was a fantastic catch, and you won’t see anything like it for many years.It’s a shame it landed up this way.”

He said catches had been “very, very lean,” recently, adding: “The first little glimmer of light, someone just takes it away from you.”

Devon and Cornwall Police scenes of crime officers were this afternoon visiting the fish market to take pictures of the sturgeon.

A force spokesman said nobody had been arrested or questioned, adding: “We are looking for somewhere to house the fish.”

One possibility is that the sturgeon could be donated to the Natural History Museum.

PC Jon Needham, Devon and Cornwall Police wildlife crime officer, said it was an offence to sell or offer for sale sturgeon, a protected species.

Anyone found guilty of selling the endangered fish could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to £ 5,000.

PC Needham added: “There is a great long string of potential offences. We need to carefully look at the circumstances.”

A spokesman for Plymouth Fisheries said: “We feel terribly sorry for these fishermen, who have seen the catch of their lifetime taken away from them.

“Obviously everybody acted in good faith. Based on the letter from the Royal Household, it was felt that it would be okay to put it up for auction.

“As soon as this became known it was of course withdrawn from the auction.”