A police investigation is underway after evidence of freshwater pearl poaching was discovered on one of Scotland’s main rivers.
Piles of freshwater mussel shells have been found on the banks of the River Spey, indicating thieves had been at work combing for their precious contents.
The freshwater pearl mussel is one of the most critically endangered molluscs in the world with strict laws now in place to prevent their theft and disturbance.
Protecting the species is now one of the top six wildlife crime priorities set by the Scottish Government with poachers now risking a prison sentence if successfully prosecuted.
Constable Mike Whyte, wildlife crime liaison officer for Aberdeenshire and Moray division, said that inquiries were ongoing following the discovery.
Police have been working for several months on the case and are following several lines of inquiry.
The officer declined to reveal the exact location of where the shells were found on the river to protect the species from further poaching.
Mr Whyte said: “We had an incident on the River Spey and the inquiry is still ongoing.
“Intelligence was received about a pile of shells found on the river bank. That is usually indicative that criminality has taken place.”
Mr Whyte said that while shells could naturally come to rest on the river bank, a pile of the open molluscs usually indicated that humans had been at work.
Collecting freshwater pearl mussels was outlawed in 1998 as stocks diminished to critical levels across Europe given agricultural and industrial pollution.
Iain Sime, freshwater ecologist at Scottish Natural Heritage, said that the species “strangely” remained at risk of persecution in Scotland.
It is understood that poachers may need to open 1,000 shells to find one that contains stones.
Mr Sime said: “Scotland retains many of the largest remaining mussel beds, the reason being that they require incredibly clean water to survive.
“They are very, very slow growing and live over a hundred years so any damage done to the population makes it very difficult for it to recover.”
Mr Sime said that river patrols would begin again in the spring as part of the Pearls in Peril programme.
He said the public had a crucial role in identifying the poachers, who usually comb the rivers using a glass-bottomed bucket.
The River Spey investigation comes after the directors of two companies were fined £10,000 for polluting waters and damaging a bed of freshwater pearl mussels in Perthshire in 2012.