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An activist who was prosecuted for taking a live crayfish from a seafood restaurant and throwing it into the ocean has spoken out about the case for the first time.
Emma Smart, 47, says she has no regrets about her actions – even though taking the crayfish from its warm tank and hurling it into the harbour would have killed it.
She said it was an “act of kindness” and described the court proceedings as a “witch hunt”.
Smart also claimed that she was “stripped naked” and searched at the police station, before being held in custody for 12 hours.
Smart, a marine biologist with a long history of activism, pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Bournemouth Crown Court earlier this month.
CCTV footage showed her waiting outside The Catch at The Old Fish Market in Weymouth, Dorset on the night of 10 April 2025, before heading inside and going to a tank, where two pet crayfish named Ronnie and Reggie were kept.
open image in gallery Emma Smart has been banned from the Catch at the Old Fish Market in Weymouth ( BNPS )
She picked one of them up while fending off a member of staff, before throwing the crayfish into Weymouth harbour.
Following the prosecution, Smart was banned from the restaurant.
She said the case against her was “ridiculous” and “trumped up”.
She wrote on social media: “They call it ‘criminal damage.’ I call it a crustacean jailbreak.
“This actually felt good at the time. A small, spontaneous, act of kindness – a tiny necessary win against a system that is literally driving our oceans, our planet (and ultimately humanity) to collapse in the midst of climate breakdown and a biodiversity crisis.”
Smart said she was “navigating a mental health crisis” and “at a dark low point” on the night that she “liberated” the crayfish.
open image in gallery Emma Smart was caught on CCTV taking the crustacean from a seafood restaurant ( BNPS )
What followed was a “bizarre witch hunt”, she wrote.
“I had my flat raided by 4 Dorset Police officers in 3 vehicles, a search warrant, arrest warrant, stripped naked and searched, held for 12 hours in custody, 5 ridiculous 'trumped-up from above' charges and a year of a ridiculous legal process.”
The Catch is a world-leading eatery for sustainable fish and seafood sourcing.
Owner Sean Cooper has called Smart “ignorant” and said her campaign against Catch was “as misguided as it is damaging”.
He said: “What's particularly frustrating is that Emma Smart is directing her anger at entirely the wrong target. Weymouth's fishing fleet is recognised globally for the way it operates.
“Catch, working alongside Weyfish, has been identified by the Sustainable Restaurant Association as the world-leading restaurant for sustainable fish and seafood sourcing.”