An Arnold man has been ordered to pay £382 for fishing without a £7.10 licence.
Darius Hodgson, 43, from Killisick Road, Arnold, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence in cases brought by the Environment Agency at Northampton Magistrates Court on Monday, April 4, 2024.
He received a penalty of £191, including a fine of £40, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £16 after pleading guilty to fishing without a licence at Butterley Reservoir, Ripley on November 18, 2023.
A day’s fishing licence would have cost him £7.10.
Following the verdict, a spokesperson at the Environment Agency, said: “We hope the penalty that this illegal angler has 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 £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (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.
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.
Where on earth does a victim surcharge go in a case such as this, to the fish?
The bigger the fish the bigger the scale of fine