Doncaster anglers face fines after fishing without a licence

Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers are clamping down on illegal fishing, to protect fish stocks and make fishing more sustainable.

Fines amounting to just under £10,000, as well as costs and victim surcharges totalling over £11,000, have been handed out to 56 people across the North West, North East and Yorkshire, after they were found to have fished illegally on separate occasions.

Offences took place across the region including Leeds, Hull, Rochdale, and Rotherham, with the majority of offences relating to fishing without a licence.

Paul Caygill, Fisheries Enforcement Officer at the Environment Agency, said: “The Environment Agency takes illegal fishing very seriously, and hopefully, these penalties make clear that for those who flout the law, enforcement will be pursued.

“Simply buying a one-day rod license or an annual licence for £6.60 and £33 respectively would have prevented the court process and the subsequent fines – instead they have paid hundreds of pounds more than needed.

“The money raised from fishing licence sales is used to help improve and protect the UK’s fish stocks and fisheries, so we can all enjoy fishing for a long time. Illegal fishing undermines our efforts to make fishing sustainable and achieve this goal.”

The Environment Agency conducts enforcement work all year round and is supported the police, as well as the Angling Trust.

Any angler aged 13 or over, must have a fishing licence in order to fish in a river, canal, or body of still water in England and Wales. Annual licenses start from £33 and can be purchased online or via phone. You can find out more about the different types of fishing licences available here.

If you have any information about illegal fishing practises, you can contact the Environment Agency’s incident hotline (24/7) on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to remain anonymous.

*The Doncaster cases were: Felician Dumitru, 27, of Dockin Hill Road, Doncaster was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on the 24th September 2023 at River Don, Doncaster. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.

Ian Smith, 47, of Churchill Avenue, Doncaster was found guilty in his absence of fishing without a licence on the 30th June 2023 at the River Don at Doncaster. He was fined £220 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £223.