The drones will be used in the Vättern lake during the high season for crawfish, before and throughout the summer, P4 Jönköping reports.

With the drones’ ability to film at a depth of up to 100 metres, Jönköping County hopes the tech will make it easier to prevent crime by netting those who catch the fish illegally.

“When we find illegal cages, we will report them to the police. We hope that those who are engaging in this will now think twice,” Jönköping County Administration fisheries supervisor Michel Bergström told the radio station.

The drones will help authorities seeking to prevent fishing outside of the permitted periods during weekends, as well as use of more than the regulation maximum six cages per person, according to the report.

Poachers are reported to use GPS technology to find their cages, enabling them to keep them hidden beneath the surface of the water.

The issue of illegal fishing for crawfish is a serious one, according to Bergström.

“Many of these crawfish are sold to Stockholm’s restaurant industry, which is worth a lot of money and distorts competition for those who do this for a living,” he told P4 Jönköping.

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