- Fishing without a licence cost a Staffordshire angler £389 for a day's fishing trip in Hodnet, Shropshire
- Another Staffordshire angler faced with penalty of £389 for a fishing trip in Rugeley
- Both cases were brought by the Environment Agency to Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday 26 September 2022.
Steve Gibbons from Stoke-on-Trent was found guilty of fishing without a licence on 21 May 2022 at Marchamley Pool, Hodnet in Shropshire.
In a separate case Jason Palmer from Stafford was found guilty of fishing without a licence at Bishton Pools, Rugeley, Staffordshire on 24 April this year.
Steve Gibbons, 32, was proved guilty in absence and ordered to pay a total penalty of £389. The penalty includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £34.
Jason Palmer, 27, was also proved guilty in absence and ordered to pay a total penalty of £389. The penalty includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £34.
Carl Salisbury, Fisheries Enforcement Officer at the Environment Agency, said:
Steve Gibbons and Jason Palmer have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook in Hodnet, Shropshire and Rugeley, Staffordshire respectively.
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. For those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
These cases show how seriously the courts take these offences. We hope the penalties received by the illegal anglers will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or stillwater needs a licence to fish. A 1-day licence costs from just £6, and an annual licence costs from just £30 (concessions available). Junior licences are free for 13 to 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.
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.
Background
Steve Gibbons was charged with the following offence:
On 21 May 2022 at Marchamley Pool, Hodnet, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Jason Palmer was charged with the following offence:
On 24 April 2022 at Bishton Pools Rugeley, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicenced fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
