Anglers catch fines for fishing without a licence

Paul Mountford, 39, from Selby was caught fishing without a licence at Newhay Lakes in Selby and ordered to pay a total of £443, while Ethan Jones, 21, from Hull was fined the same amount for fishing without a licence and during the coarse fish close season at Beverley Beck End.

Caitlin Sakacs, 31, of Bradford pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Birkwood Fisheries in Normanton and ordered to pay £240. Meanwhile, Paul Cintos, 24 of Leeds was also found guilty of fishing without a licence at Birkwood and fined £443.

Vasile Amarioarei, 51, from Doncaster pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Hexthorpe near the River Don and was ordered to pay £116.

Meanwhile, tourist Jordan Martin Meredith Davies, 31, was caught fishing without a licence on the River Wansbeck at Bothal near Morpeth in February during a visit from Kent. He was also found guilty of other offences including using more than one rod and line while fishing for salmon, fishing for trout in the close season, and leaving a rod and line with its bait or hook unattended.

Having been found guilty in absence, he has been fined a total of £555.

Paul Caygill, Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officer, said: “We hope the penalties received by these illegal anglers will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.

“The cases show how seriously the courts take these offences and the anglers have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook. They could have bought a 1-day rod licence to fish for just £6.60 or an annual licence for £33 and avoided both the fine and court process.

“Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable.  Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.