5-May-2006 - Anglers
in Yorkshire and the North East are the most honest,
according to the latest figures from the Environment
Agency.
A nationwide rod licence blitz
was carried out over the May bank holiday and,
despite checking the highest number of anglers
in this region, the rod licence evasion rate was
the lowest in the country.
The evasion rate for anglers
in Yorkshire and the North East was 2.52 per cent,
compared to a national rate of 5.89 per cent.
2,145 anglers across Yorkshire and the North East
were asked to produce a licence, with only 54
people unable to do so.
The evasion rate was highest
in the North West at 14.5 per cent, where 63 out
of 437 anglers could not produce a licence when
asked to do so.
“Nationally, enforcement teams
made checks on more than 11,000 anglers at 943
waters across England and Wales between April
29 and May 1 and caught 671 illegal anglers who
were cheating honest ones,” explained Environment
Agency Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.
“Fishing without a licence is
an offence and those caught fishing illegally
face tough penalties, including fines of up to
£2,500 and a ban from fishing. The message
is sinking in with evading anglers, as the rate
of evasion dropped from 7% in the May 2005 blitz
to 6% this time round.
“Our officers directed maximum
effort to rivers and lakes where we believed cheats
would be present. People who fish without a licence
are cheating the system and their fellow anglers.
Around £19m is raised through rod licences
and invested in fisheries work that benefits all
anglers, fish stocks and the waterside environment.
We will continue with our blitz programme to bring
rod licence evasion down.”
Teams of Environment Agency
fisheries bailiffs checked 33 waters in North
Yorkshire and Teesside, 24 in Tyne and Wear and
Northumberland and 58 in South, West and east
Yorkshire in the first of a series of national
rod licence blitzes.
Almost 80% of all waters visited
had no offences detected. However, a number of
anglers believed a licence was valid for 12 months
from the date of purchase. This is not case -
all rod licences expire on March 31.
The reminder comes after almost
£600,000 was paid in fines and costs by
more than 4,600 illegal anglers in 2005. On average,
these illegal fishing trips cost anglers £128
each in fines and costs. A full season coarse
and trout licence costs just £24.
“Our staff are better equipped
than ever. With access to databases at the switch
of a mobile phone, enforcement officers can verify
address and licence details, including whether
they purchased a licence the previous year. All
this makes catching licence evaders an easier
process,” continued Dafydd.
