Two illegal anglers net fines for fishing without a rod licence

AN illegal fishing trip cost two Nottingham men nearly £400 between them.

Yacine Abdi, 21, of Windmill Close, Sneinton, and Mohamed Al Jalam, 21, of Byfield Close, Radford, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Holme Pierrepont Country Park, between Colwick and Gamston, on the River Trent.

The offences took place on June 9, 2023, and could have been avoided by paying a £6.60 one-day rod licence. The cases were brought to Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court by the Environment Agency on Tuesday, February 13.

Abdi had to pay out £177, including a fine of £30, costs of £135, and a victim surcharge of £12. Al Jalam was hit in the pocket for£205, including a fine of £50, costs of £135, and a victim surcharge of £20.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We hope the penalties these anglers have received sends out a message to others that illegal fishing is taken seriously and those who flout the law can expect to face enforcement action. They could have bought a one-day rod licence for just £6.60, or an annual licence costs from £33, which would have avoided both the fine and court process, so this has proved costly for them.

“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, seven 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 one-day licence costs from just £6.60, an 8-day licence costs from £13.20, and an annual licence costs from £33. Junior licences are free for 13-16 year olds. Licences can be bought up to 30 days before they are needed and are available from www. gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence