A MAN from Bridgwater has been fined hundreds of pounds for fishing without a rod licence.
Kevin Tadd, 46, from West Street, was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a rod licence at Ash Ponds, in Yeovil.
He was fined £220 and ordered to pay £135 costs and a £88 victim surcharge at Swindon Magistrates Court on 7 May 2024.
Callum Underhill, Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officer, said: “The majority of anglers happily pay for and carry their rod licence.
"It’s part of the sport. But there’s a handful who think they’ll never be caught.
“We do catch them. And they always end up paying the same amount as several years’ worth of angling, leaving them worse off.”
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence.
A one-day licence costs from just £6 and an annual licence costs from just £30 (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 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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