Seven people were arrested in Banteay Meanchey province’s Phnom Srok district on Tuesday for allegedly fishing using illegal electric equipment.

The group will be sent to court today, according to police. District police chief Yoth Sophal said batteries, eight electric fishing rods, five electric fishing devices, 6 kilograms of fish and numerous cages were seized.

The seven men allegedly travelled from Svay Chek district. “Everyone is allowed to fish at the place we arrested them, but those seven men used illegal fishing equipment, so we cannot allow them to do that,” said Soun Somao, who oversees four districts for the Fisheries Administration in the area.

According to the admin­istration, 4,347 cases of illegal fishing were dealt with in 2014, compared with 3,700 in 2013. A toddler in Prey Veng province was electrocuted and died last month after grabbing an electrified fishing net left in a pond.