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New Powers for Volunteer Bailiffs
Originally, members of the Voluntary Bailiff Service were only able to report poaching and fish theft offences. However, with the introduction of this second phase, members will now also be able to make fishing licence and bylaw checks, in order to ensure that all anglers are fishing legally. These new powers will mean that volunteer bailiffs will now be able to patrol and report offenders in the same way as Environment Agency Members. The Angling Trust and the Environment Agency are hopeful that this new policy will deter anglers from fishing illegally, as it will increase the number of patrols on the banks and decrease the number of anglers willing to risk fishing illegally. With prices for annual fishing rod licences starting at only £30 and rod licence renewal available via http://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences the gov.uk website, there really is no excuse for not paying your way. The money raised from fishing rod licence sales goes towards funding initiatives such as the Voluntary Bailiff Service – improving life at the water’s edge for all.
As Judy Proctor, head of fisheries at the Environment Agency, has said: “The volunteer bailiffs already provide a great service to angling by helping our officers catch people fishing illegally. We will be evaluating the pilot carefully to see what more can be done and how we can improve the service. There is no excuse for illegal fishing. Anyone fishing illegally can expect to be prosecuted and face a fine of up to £2,500 (or up to £50,000 for bylaw offences). In 2015/16, the Environment Agency’s patrols checked 62,076 rod licences and brought 2,043 successful prosecutions for fisheries crime.”
Of the 300 volunteers whom the Angling Trust has recruited over the past five years, 10 members from the South East have been trained to implement these new checks. If this project proves successful in catching and preventing illegal fishing, the scheme will be rolled out across the country – allowing the Environment Agency officers to focus on investigations into other types of fishery crime.
Poaching and fish theft is a primary concern for all involved in the fishing industry, whether you’re a pleasure angler or a fishery owner, and the Voluntary Bailiff Service provides a unique opportunity for anglers to get involved with the local fishing community and to help prevent future angling crimes. If you’d like to learn more, apply to become a voluntary bailiff, or find out when the next induction and training days are, please email karen.sarkar@anglingtrust.net.
To learn more about the Environment Agency rod licence and the options available to you, you can read our fishing licences blog. To purchase your fishing licence online, please visit www.gov.uk/fishing-licences.
