BALACLAVA-WEARING poachers have been thwarted in an attempt to clean out a world-famous salmon pool.
The gang had hauled in 15 salmon after netting the ridge pool in Ballina, Co Mayo, when they were disturbed by fishery board officers.
After being challenged, the poachers abandoned the net and its contents. Up to yesterday, no members of the gang had been apprehended but the North Western Regional Fisheries Board said it had "a fair idea" of their identity.
"This was a brazen attack . . . There was quite a lot of fish in the river at the time the poaching incident occurred," fisheries board manager Vincent Roche said.
