Enforcement officers from the Environment Agency will be taking to the fishing banks and waters across England and Wales and checking anglers’ rod licences between 18 June and 26 June.
Fishing without a licence is an offence and anyone caught fishing illegally can expect to face tough penalties, including a fine of up to £ 2,500 and a ban from fishing. The ten-day long rod-licence blitz will be the longest project of this sort that the Environment Agency has organised.
Not only is fishing without a licence illegal, but licence dodgers are also cheating fellow anglers and the future of angling, as money raised by rod licence sales goes straight back into fisheries. Work including disease detection, enforcement of illegal fish movements and audit of foreign species is all funded by rod licence revenue. Last year £ 2 million was set aside for over 140 projects including angling participation, habitat improvement and the creation and development of new fisheries.
Environment Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans said: “Anglers must ensure they have a valid licence before they start fishing or face the prospect of prosecution. Anglers who evade the licence fee are not only breaking the law but also cheating their fellow anglers and we will leave no stone unturned in tracking them down.
“Over 700 anglers were caught fishing illegally in the second rod licence blitz last year. This year’s blitz will be the most organised and toughest crackdown on licence cheats that we have done.”
Buying a licence couldn’t be easier – there are around 15,000 Post Offices and 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/rodlicence.
