Environment Agency officers have caught and prosecuted a Frome angler for fishing without a rod licence.
Jakub Jaslikowski, 23, from Blackberry Road in Frome, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Farleigh Wood Pool, in Bath. He was fined £153 and ordered to pay £135 costs and a £61 victim surcharge at Swindon Magistrates Court on 7 May 2024.
Callum Underhill, Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officer, said:
"Fishing without a rod licence is a crime, as this angler has found out to his cost. The money paid out could have paid for a decade's worth of fishing.
"It is not a victimless crime. The money from rod licences goes back into the sport. It pays for the protection of fish stock and improving habitat."
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence.
A 1-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.
