In February of this year the Environment Agency successfully prosecuted 283 people for rod licence related offences with this month’s fines totalling £ 16,724 and costs of £ 17,599 awarded to the Agency. On average these unlicenced fishing trips cost each angler £ 117 but this month the highest fine was a costly £ 220 for a defendant in Leeds, with the highestcosts of £ 359.50 awarded in Swindon.
Dafydd Evans, the Agency’s Head of Fisheries, explained, ‘With current fulllicences set to expire on March 31st, it is very important at this time ofyear for all anglers to ensure that they have a valid licence before headingout to fish.
‘Rod licence fees are essential in improving and maintaining the standard offisheries in England and Wales for all those who use them, and for thisreason we have an appropriate programme of enforcement.’
Buying a licence couldn’t be easier. There are around 17,000 Post Officesand other outlets which sell them direct and, for a small additional charge,they can be purchased over the phone (0870 1662662) or from our web site – www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fish
