Ten anglers were fined a total of £ 600 at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for fishing without a licence, contrary to section 27 of the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1975. In addition each man was ordered to pay £ 55 towards the costs of the Environment Agency which brought the prosecutions. Two of the men had their rods and reels forfeited to the Agency.
Peter Montague Norman Barry of Derwenwas, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, fishing at Tillington Lake, Hereford on 20/7/01; Gareth Davies of Greenmeadow, Tredegar, Monmouthshire, fishing at Rotherwas Pool, Rotherwas, Hereford on 5/8/01; Richard Morris of 20, Lyall Close, Tupsley, Hereford, fishing the River Lugg at Lugg Mill Bridge on 15/8/01; Stephen Wesley Murray of White Horse Street, Whitecross, Hereford, fishing at Church Pool, Clehonger, Hereford on 6/8/01 were all fined £ 25.
Matthew Rhys Gasson of Tan-y-Fron, Llanvihangel Crucorney, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, fishing at Marsh House Fishery, Hereford on 29/5/01; Peter Maxwell of Runnes Close, Mitcham, Surrey, fishing at Docklow Pools, Leominster on 11/7/01 and Kevin Norman Reeves of Western Road, Mitcham, Surrey also fishing at Docklow Pools, Leominster on 11/7/01 were all fined £ 50.
Craig Martin Lane, The Unicorn Inn, Weobley, Herefordshire and Tracy Guy Sandford of Chapel Orchard, Weobley, Herefordshire, fishing at Tillington Lake, Hereford on 27/7/01; Terence Phillips of St. Vincent’s Close, Lower Bullingham, Hereford, fishing at Church Pool, Clehonger, Hereford on 16/8/01 were all fined £ 100.
The court forfeited the tackle of Maxwell and Reeves and they were also fined and additional £ 25 for failing to state their name and address.
Speaking after the hearing an Agency spokesperson said: “An Environment Agency fishing licence is required to fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish and eels in all inland waters in England and Wales. A permit to fish, granted by the owner of the fishery is not a licence to fish, and a licence must be obtained before commencing fishing. Licences are available from all Post Offices and cannot be purchased from Fisheries Officers on the day of fishing. A licence must be produced when required to do so by a Fisheries Officer, or posted to the Agency within seven days of being requested to produce it. Failure to purchase or produce a licence or giving a false name and address to a Fisheries Officer will invariably result in a prosecution.”
FISHINGmagic Comment Although court costs increased the amount each offender paid,wouldn’t it be more appropriate, and more of a deterrent, if the finewas at least twice the cost of a rod licence and tackle confiscationwas mandatory?
The EA are doing a good job catching these licence dodgers, but are the courts doing their job? Are the EA getting the backing they deserve?
After all, we who buy one ormore rod licences every year are the ones who lose out throughincreased licence costs and lack of funding that could go towardsmaintaining better fisheries.
Why should we subsidise thelicence dodgers?
