Fisherman caught whopper of a fine
Threatening behaviour and fishing without a licence cost angler more than £2,000.
Just £6 would have kept Swanley angler Gary Carr legal when he fished earlier this year
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A 1-day rod licence is just £6 and goes towards stocking waters with half-a-million fish every year.
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Fisheries enforcement officers carry out regular checks on private lakes, rivers, ponds and canals – anywhere that can be fished.
An angler from Swanley in Kent threatened to stab someone when asked to show his fishing licence.
Gary Carr, of Alder Way, Swanley, has been ordered by a court to pay a substantial fine, several hundred times the amount of money than if he’d just bought a rod licence.
An Environment Agency enforcement officer was carrying out a routine check on fishing licences at the Darenth Complex in Dartford in June this year, when Carr was caught fishing without the licence. When asked for his personal details, he threatened to stab someone.
The 52-year-old was fined £930 by magistrates. He could have bought a 1-day rod licence to fish for just £6. Instead, his bill for not doing so and for his threatening behaviour, including costs, was more than £2,000.
Joe Kitanosono, a fisheries officer with the Environment Agency, said:
The brave Environment Agency officer at the Darenth Complex was instrumental in bringing this case to court. Making sure anglers have a valid licence and not tolerating threatening behaviour ended with Carr’s conviction. An excellent example making sure members pay their way, vital to helping the Environment Agency protect fisheries.
Around £25 million is raised annually through fishing licences, paying for stocking waters with half-a-million fish, and improving rivers and fisheries for anglers and the wider environment. It’s quick, easy and cheap to get a licence: online or by phone – search ‘fishing licence’ on gov.uk.
Our fisheries enforcement officers carry out regular checks on private lakes, rivers, ponds and canals – anywhere that can be fished. Information on suspected illegal fishing can be called into our incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60.
Anglers aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water need a licence. An annual licence starts at £30. Concessions are available, and junior licences are free for 13-to-16-year-olds.
The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all-year-round, supported by police forces and the Angling Trust, as well as fishing clubs and societies.
Gary Carr, of Alder Way, Swanley, did not attend court, and in his absence was fined for fishing without a rod licence, threatening behaviour and refusing to give personal details, at Darenth Complex, Dartford, Kent, on 22 June 2022, contrary to section 4A (1) (a) – threatening behaviour of the Public Order Act 1986, 27 (1) (a) – fishing without a licence and 35 (3) – not giving name and address, all of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
He was convicted in Medway magistrates’ court on 9 December 2022, fined a total of £930, and ordered to pay costs of £903.50 and a victim surcharge of £372.
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To help crack down on fisheries crime, the Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal fishing and other offences by calling 0800 807060.
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Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500, and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized.
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We inspect rod licences throughout Kent and England and work continually on cases of illegal fishing and other associated fisheries crime.
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It’s easy to buy a rod fishing licence online. Get a rod fishing licence: https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences
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Rod fishing licence income is vital to the work of the Environment Agency to maintain, improve and develop fisheries.
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Revenue generated from rod fishing licence sales is reinvested to benefit angling, with work including tackling illegal fishing, protecting and restoring habitats for fish and improving facilities for anglers.