24/06/2005 - There will
be nowhere to run or hide if you’re a fishing
licence cheat is the warning from the Environment
Agency. Our enforcement officers from will
be taking to the fishing banks and waters
across Wales and England 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 we have
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 this web site.
