Tyrone Magunda - 2-Apr-2007
- On 30 March 2007, Keiron Moss (24) of
Anson Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands,
was found guilty in his absence by Worcester
Magistrates Court of using prohibited hooks
and bait during the coarse fishing close
season. He was fined a total of £150
and asked to pay £150 costs.
The court heard that in June 2006 the Environment
Agency mounted boat patrols of the Rivers
Severn and Avon, following reports of illegal
fishing during the coarse fish close season.
On the 10 June 2006, Environment Agency
Fisheries and Recreation Officers witnessed
Keiron Moss fishing on the River Severn
at Upton upon Severn. Mr Moss informed the
officers that he was fishing for eels, which
is permitted during the coarse fishing close
season. When asked to reel in his lines,
the two rods that were in use had small
hooks, size 12-14 baited with maggots, which
are not permitted in the close season.
Speaking after the case, John Andrews,
Fisheries and Recreation Technical Officer
said: "People think they can get away
with close season fishing because they are
out of sight of a road or path. We see a
few surprised faces when anglers see us
in the boat. The close season gives river
life a chance to recover in the spring.
Nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities
for people to fish year round on canals
and still-waters, so there is no excuse".
+ More
Good fisheries management is the best way
to prevent and control fish disease
Head Office Press Office - 3-Apr-2007 -
Fishery managers and angling clubs can protect
their waters from disease outbreaks by practising
good fisheries management. That is the message
from a workshop on fish disease and fisheries
management held on 29th March at the Environment
Agency’s National Fisheries Laboratory at
Brampton, Huntingdon, in Cambridgeshire.
Speakers from all sections of the fisheries
industry highlighted how fishery managers
can greatly reduce the risk of disease problems
on the fisheries they look after. They also
gave a clear message about how all of the
groups involved in fisheries in England
and Wales can work together to reduce the
damage fish disease causes.
"We know most coarse fish disease
outbreaks are caused by a combination of
too many fish, poor environment or recent
stocking. The good news is that these are
all things that fishery managers can control,"
explained Environment Agency technical advisor
on fish health Nigel Hewlett.
"This workshop is the first step in
making sure fishery managers know the risks
they face and that they can work to prevent
disease outbreaks. We have a lot of work
to do on this, but preventing fish disease
outbreaks will save fish, reduce restocking
costs and help protect the future of angling."
The event was jointly organised by the
Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust
(FACT) and the Environment Agency. It brought
together commercial and specialist fishery
managers, fisheries consultants, the fish
supply trade, the Institute of Fisheries
Management and government bodies to discuss
the role fisheries management can play in
preventing and controlling disease problems.
The speakers included Mike Heylin (Fisheries
and Angling Conservation Trust), Nigel Hewlett
(Environment Agency), Roy Marlow (Professional
Coarse Fisheries Association), Viv Shears
(Sparsholt College Fisheries Study Centre),
Ash Girdler (Institute of Fisheries Management),
Ian Welby (Coarse Fish Farmers and Traders
Association) and Eric Hudson (Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science).
"Although the Koi Herpesvirus outbreaks
last year were devastating for many fisheries,
it has meant angling groups, fish suppliers
and government agencies are now more focussed
on the issue of disease prevention and control
and understand more fully the importance
of working together," said Mike Heylin.
"This has also given us a fantastic
opportunity to work to prevent other disease
problems we know about now and those that
may appear in the future.
"The economic costs of failing to
implement adequate controls on disease in
our fisheries are massive. Coarse angling
is worth £2.5 billion a year. No one
can improve our fisheries but fisheries
managers. We owe that care to today’s anglers
and the future generations who will want
to fish in England and Wales."
Each year more than 100 fish incidents
of fish kills caused by disease occur in
fisheries. Many of these can be prevented
and it’s fishery managers who hold the key.
By taking professional advice and applying
it to their fisheries they can tackle the
threat of fish disease.
"Most fish mortalities are preventable.
Last year’s outbreak of KHV highlighted
the damage fish disease can do to fisheries.
Although KHV grabbed the headlines, it remains
the cause of only a small number of the
fish disease outbreaks the Environment Agency
investigates each year. Over the past three
years around 270 other fish disease outbreaks
have caused the loss of at least £1.5
million worth of fish," continued Nigel
Hewlett.
"We know most cases could have been
prevented by simple fisheries management
actions. Even with deadly viruses such as
KHV the way you manage your fishery can
greatly reduce the potential losses; thus
saving fish, cutting lost day ticket sales
and protecting the reputation of your fisheries
and angling."
The Environment Agency has issued some
simple guidance explaining how fisheries
owners and anglers can prevent the spread
of disease and protect their fisheries.
Visit www.efishbusiness.co.uk. The Institute
of Fisheries Management has also produced
a booklet on the Management of Intensively
Stocked Stillwater Coarse Fisheries. For
a free copy of this booklet e-mail your
name and address to secretary@saauk.org.
Environment Agency clamp-down on illegal
anglers
Paul Gainey - 3-Apr-2007 - Anglers caught
fishing without a licence were today fined
by North Avon magistrates in court cases
brought by the Environment Agency.
The improvements made to fish habitats
and stocks are part funded directly from
rod licence sales. The Environment Agency
is reminding all anglers to get their licence
in time for the new season as the money
goes straight back into the sport.
The £500 fines and costs were awarded
against six people by North Avon Magistrates
sitting at Yate, near Bristol, today (Tuesday,
March 3, 2007).
The following people were caught fishing
without a licence at Boyd Valley Lake, Bristol,
on 20 August 2006:
• Mark Ridge, of Wiltshire Avenue, Hanham,
Bristol, was fined £25 with £70
in costs.
• Christopher Dunne, of 25 Whitefield Avenue,
Speedwell, Bristol, was fined £25
with £70 costs.
Daniel Ivey, of St Davids Avenue, Warmley,
Bristol, was fined £25 and ordered
to pay £70 costs for fishing with
three rods at Bagwood Lakes, Patchway, Bristol.
He pleaded guilty to not having a licence
contrary to Section 27 of the Salmon and
Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Michael Weston, of Bath Road, Bridgeyate,
Bristol, was fined £25 with £70
for fishing without a licence at the same
location.
The Environment Agency also prosecuted
Steven Elvidge, of Coronation Road, Cadbury
Heath, Bristol, who was caught at Golden
Valley Ponds, Bitton. He was fined £25
and ordered to pay £70 in costs.
Ernest Willmott, of Sweets Road, Kingswood,
Bristol, was seen at Bitterwell Lake, Coalpit
Heath, Bristol. He admitted the offence
and was given a conditional discharge.
‘We regularly check to ensure that fishery
rules and regulations are being observed,
and this will continue. We must also protect
vulnerable fish stocks from exploitation
during the close season on rivers,’ said
Martin Williams for the Environment Agency.
