A Bridgend man was fined a total of £ 260 and ordered to paycosts of £ 75 at Bridgend Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 23 July2001 after pleading guilty to four offences contrary to the Salmonand Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1975.
The Court was told how on Friday, 23 July 1999, an EnvironmentAgency Wales Fisheries Inspector had seen Robert Glen Richards ofHeol Dwyrain, Brackla, Bridgend and a companion on the bank of theRiver Ogmore near Pandy Bridge, Aberkenfig.
Richards and his companion were both in possession of home-madesnares and the Inspector made a video film of the activities of thetwo defendants. During the filming Richards was seen to identify amigratory trout in the river, he then entered the water still holdingthe wire snare and attempted to find the fish. They failed andsubsequently left the area.
On 1 July 2000, Richards was seen fishing by means of a rod andline off the left bank of the River Ogmore at Pandy Bridge. Onceagain, his activities were filmed by the Agency’s Inspector whoidentified Richards as being the person he had seen attempting totake fish by means of a snare the previous July.
Later that same evening, Richards was approached while fishing bymeans of a rod and line on the right bank of the river Ogmore nearYnysawdre Road Bridge, Sarn. Richards admitted that he did not havea licence and when asked about the incident at Pandy Bridge theprevious July replied under caution “It wasn’t a snare it was thedogs lead”.
The following afternoon Richards was once again found fishing bymeans of a rod and line
on the left bank of the River Ogmore at the Angel Pool,Aberkenfig. On seeing the Agency’s Inspectors on the opposite bank,Richards and his companion ran off towards Pandy Bridge and concealedtheir rods in some bushes.
The two Inspectors approached Richards and his companion, and hiscompanion subsequently retrieved two fishing rods. When asked if hehad a Rod License, Richards turned and began running upstream.
In all, the defendant pleaded guilty and was fined for a total offour offences. For using a snare to take migratory trout, contraryto section 1 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975,Richards was fined £ 200. The Court ordered that no separatepenalty should be imposed in relation to a second offence arisingfrom that incident, while in addition Richards was fined £ 20 inrespect of each of the three instances of unlicensed fishing whichoccurred on the 1 and 2 July 2000. He was also ordered to pay£ 75 towards the costs of Environment Agency Wales who broughtthe prosecution, and an Order of Forfeiture was made in respect ofthe rod and reel which he had used and which was seized by theInspectors. His companion during the incident in 1999 had been dealtwith at an earlier Court.
Speaking after the case Steve Williams, Team Leader FisheriesEnforcement, said: “I am grateful for the determination of thisinspector in pursuing the defendant. This is a very clear signal towould be poachers that the Agency will not tolerate illegal fishingor the resulting damage to the environment.”
