Pair hooked for illegal fishing in Oxfordshire
As part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing crackdown, two anglers have been found guilty of fishing illegally on separate occasions this year in Oxfordshire.
Fisheries Enforcement Officer patrol the rivers for illegal angling
Their cases were brought by the Environment Agency to Hastings Magistrates’ Court on Friday 1 September.
Keiron Ward (39), of Songers Close, Oxford was also found guilty to fishing without a licence at St Johns Lake, Linear Fisheries, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire on 10 April 2023.
In a separate case, James Roberts (39), of Lady Mead, Cricklade, Swindon was found guilty of fishing without a licence at St Johns Lake, Linear Fisheries, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire on 15 April 2023.
Mr Ward and Mr Roberts were both ordered to pay a total penalty of £443 each. The penalty includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Peter Gray, Area Fisheries Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said:
“We hope the penalties both illegal anglers have 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, 7 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 £6.60, and an annual licence currently costs from just £33 (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.
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.