Three anglers from Nottingham and one from Loughborough have been found guilty of fishing illegally in cases brought by the Environment Agency.
- An angler from Nottingham who was found guilty in absence of fishing without a licence has been ordered to pay a fine of £220 plus costs
- Another Nottingham angler pleaded guilty to using a keepnet of less than 20metres in length and fishing without a licence and received a fine of £146 plus costs
- Fisheries enforcement officers clamp down on illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
The 4 anglers have been found guilty at Northampton Magistrates Court of fishing illegally in cases brought by the Environment Agency on Monday 13 January 2025.
Stuart Gotheridge, 31, of Henrietta Street, Nottingham was found guilty in absence of fishing without a licence at Beechwood Park, Elvaston on 3 July 2024. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Zbigniew Malczak, of Hartley Road, Nottingham pleaded guilty of using a keepnet of less than 2 metres in length and to fishing without a licence at Attenborough. He was fishing on the River Trent on 28 July 2024. He was fined £146 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £58.
Mariusz Wolanski, 57, of Hartley Road, Nottingham pleaded guilty of using a keepnet of less than 2 metres in length at Attenborough. He was fishing on the River Trent on 28 July 2024. He was fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £40.
Matthew Mee, 52, of Long Close, Loughborough, pleaded guilty of fishing without a licence at Pride Lakes, Hemington on 3 July 2024. He was fined £146 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £58.
A day's fishing licence would have cost just £7.10, or an annual fee from £35.80.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
We hope the penalties these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws we have in place across England.
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, 7 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 1-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence costs from £35.80 (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 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The charges
Stuart Gotheridge was charged with the following offence:
On the 3rd July 2024 at Beechwood Park, Elvaston, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Zbigniew Malczak was charged with the following offences:
On the 28th day of July 2024 at Attenborough - River Trent, Nottingham, used a keepnet of less than 2.0 metres in length, contrary to Byelaw 5(1)(b)(iii) of the Environment Agency National Byelaws which came into force on 31 March 1998 and made pursuant to Section 210 and Schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991 and contrary to Section 211 of the said Act.
On the 28th day of July 2024 at Attenborough - River Trent, Nottingham in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
Mariusz Wolanski was charged with the following offence:
On the 28th day of July 2024 at Attenborough - River Trent, Nottingham, used a keepnet of less than 2.0 metres in length, contrary to Byelaw 5(1)(b)(iii) of the Environment Agency National Byelaws which came into force on 31 March 1998 and made pursuant to Section 210 and Schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991 and contrary to Section 211 of the said Act.
Matthew Mee was charged with the following offence:
On the 3rd day of July 2024 at Pride Lakes, Hemington, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. Contrary to Section 27(1)(a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.
