ENFORCEMENT DEBATE ROLLS ON...

LAST week we read how a ‘combined operation’ between the Environment Agency, Police and the Angling Trust swooped on a trout reservoir in Essex on the opening day of their new season, and found 27 of the 153 anglers present hadn’t got a rod licence.

That’s a huge proportion, equating to just under 18 per cent, yet the EA officially states that the rod licence evasion rate is typically closer to five per cent. That’s a huge disparity between the two figures.

Those with experience feel that the true number of anglers fishing without a licence is somewhere between 10 and 15 per cent. With over one million anglers in the UK, that’s a lot of missed revenue, and a lot of anglers getting away with it.

So, the old enforcement argument rolls on. Should we have more bailiff boots on the bank, or should that resource be put into issues many people believe are more pressing?

Or, as some have suggested, should we have a rod licence at all? Anglers moan when there’s no licence enforcement, and yet many also moan when there is!

Public comments on the Angling Trust report of the swoop at Hanningfield Reservoir suggest a division between the supporters of more enforcement and those who accuse the authorities of fiddling while Rome burns, referencing the current pollution crisis on our rivers.

There were also accusations of double standards, with the EA struggling to enforce the laws against polluters who are damaging our rivers so badly, yet taking action against anglers that are actually supporting the sport in a commercial capacity.

What are your thoughts on the enforcement issue? I’d be interested to hear...

“Is this a case of fiddling while Rome burns?”