Boat patrol nets close season anglers

Environment Agency enforcement officers carried out a boat patrol along the River Tees in a bid to catch anglers illegally fishing during the coarse fish close season.

The River Tees has become a highly valued coarse fishery since the Tees barrage was erected 12 years ago, but the Environment Agency had received complaints that anglers were fishing illegally on the river, between the Tees Barrage and Yarm.

Officers found eight of the eleven people checked on this stretch of river were fishing illegally on Tuesday June 5th and they will now be reported for prosecution. This included people fishing without rod licences and those using maggots in the close season for coarse fish.

One suspected offender tried to escape from enforcement officers and was captured and arrested until his identity could be verified.

Environment Agency fisheries officer David Bamford said: "It is important to enforce the coarse fish closed season as fish need to be allowed to spawn successfully without being targeted by anglers.

"Fish become vulnerable to handling damage at spawning time and can fall victim to disease if handled."

Changes to Section 30 announced

A fisheries watchdog today welcomed moves to streamline the Section 30 procedure for those applying for permission to move live fish.

NAFAC - the National Association of Fisheries and Angling Consultatives - said the move made it easier to apply.

From April 2007, Angling Clubs will be able to apply on-line 24 hours a day for Section 30 consents to introduce fish and Section 25 Consents to use an unlicenced instrument to catch fish.

As well as being able to track the progress of consents, clubs will be also able to access former applications and overtype them with simple changes like dates and numbers of fish saving much time and administration.

Repeat consents will also be much quicker with request being turned around within one day, direct from the central Fish Movement Authorisation Team, rather than Regional Offices as at present.

The current system is generally acknowledged to be somewhat discredited and evaded, with some suppliers moving fish illegally, because of the delays and bureaucracy often involved. It is anticipated that on-line applications will reduce this.

The new system is being implemented after discussion with the Fish Welfare Group under the auspices of FACT (Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust) on which NAFAC is represented along with the fish supply trade and other angling and fisheries bodies.

Chairman of NAFAC, Martin Read commented, “This result demonstrates what can be achieved by Fisheries and Angling organisations working together on behalf of anglers, angling, and fisheries throughout the country. I hope the improved system will reduce current bureaucracy and subsequent illegal movements so that the benefits of the consent system can start to truly protect our fish and fisheries”.

Illegal eel nets seized and netter nabbed

Illegal eel nets seized have been seized from a Hampshire nature reserve. Anglersnet has the story, click here.

In a seperate incident, AN is also reporting a court case in which an illegal netsman was fined £600 and ordered to pay £475 costs. Click here for this story.

Pike and other coarse fish can be caught in fyke nets, while otters can drown in nets set without special guards which stop them swimming in after the fish they contain.

Eels are also a much-loved summer quarry of many predator anglers, a fish which appears to be getting rarer and rarer.

Grass network being set up to spy on pikers

The EA is setting up a network of informants prepared to pass on the number plates of anglers seen arriving at and leaving waters in Norfolk with livebait buckets, it was claimed today.