- Fishing without a licence has cost 13 anglers from Birmingham, Walsall and Droitwich a total penalty of £4,286
- Fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
At Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 18 December, 13 anglers from Birmingham, Walsall and Droitwich were found guilty of fishing without a licence in cases brought by the Environment Agency.
An annual fishing licence currently costs from £33.
Five of the anglers, Ion Miroiu, 46, and Valentin Ionut Miroiu, 22, of Tame Road, Birmingham; Cristian Paun, 36, and David Paun, 19, of Deykin Avenue, Birmingham and Abel Paun, 31 of Electric Avenue, Birmingham were all proved guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Earlswood Lakes, Earlswood, on 7 May 2023. They were each ordered to pay a total penalty of £345. The penalty includes a fine of £150, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Jack Iley, 28, of Laburnum Grove, Nuneaton was proved guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Ridings Fishery, Grendon on 18 June 2023. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £345, including a fine of £150, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Three anglers: Christian Wickett, 50, of Laburnum Grove, Birmingham; Andrew Shwalbe, 59, of Teal Drive, Birmingham and Ritchie Hennessey, 33, of Turfpits Lane, Birmingham were all proved guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Buzzard Valley Fishery, Tamworth on 18 June 2023. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £345, including a fine of £150, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Brett Steed, 40, of Westbourne Street, Walsall was proved guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Hatherton Lake, Walsall on 15 July 2023. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £345, including a fine of £150, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Aaran Everitt, 28, of Greenwood Road, Walsall pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Pipe Hill on. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £277, including a fine of £102, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £40.
Darren Hawkins, 31, from Hipkiss Gardens, Droitwich was proved guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Herriotts Pool, Droitwich on 20 July 2023. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £345, including a fine of £150, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Mikolaj Wisniewski, 42, of 49 Abbey Road, Erdington, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, Gravelly Hill on 30 July. He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £214, including a fine of £57, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £22.
Following the verdicts, a spokesperson at the Environment Agency, said:
"We hope the penalties that these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.
"Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, seven days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
"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 legal anglers."
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A 1-day licence costs from just £6.60, and an annual licence costs from £33 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 - 16-year-olds. Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
