Wakefield and Castleford men fined for fishing illegally

Other people from outside the district were caught for the same offence in Normanton.

Benjamin Holmes, 21, of Rayner Street in Horbury, was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on May 28, 2023 at Birkwood Fisheries in Normanton.

He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.

Joe Speck, 31, of Arnside Crescent in Castleford, was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on June 23, 2023 at Westlands Pond, Brandesburton.

He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.

Jack Courtman, 21, of Morritt Drive in Leeds, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence on June 17, 2023 at Birkwood Fisheries in Normanton.

He was fined £40 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £66.

David Culshaw, 26, of Waithlands Road, Rochdale, was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on June 17, 2023 at Birkwood Fisheries in Normanton.

He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.

Arif Burak, 22, of Embleton Road, Methley, Leeds, pleaded guilty to illegal fishing on May 26, 2023 at Birkwood Lakes in Normanton.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £180.

Stephen Moran, 34, of Field End in Leeds, was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on May 26, 2023 at Birkwood Lakes in Normanton.

He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.

A total of 38 people from Yorkshire and the North East were caught fishing illegally and will pay more than £12,000 in fines and costs.

This equals hundreds of times the cost of an annual fishing licence, which starts at just £33 a year.

Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable

Their cases were brought by the Environment Agency and they have paid fines and costs totalling more than £12,000.

Offences took place across the area including Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Hull, Leeds, and Doncaster and mainly relate to fishing during the close season and fishing without a licence.

The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust.

Paul Caygill, fisheries enforcement officer at the Environment Agency, said: “We hope these penalties send out the message to others that illegal fishing is taken seriously and people flouting the law can expect to face enforcement action.

“They could have bought a one-day rod licence to fish for just £6.60 or an annual licence for £33 and avoided both the fine and court process, so this has proven costly for those involved.

“The money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of anglers.

"Illegal fisheries undermine our efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable into the future.”

Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water must purchase a fishing licence to fish in England and Wales.