AN ANGLER who illegally took fish from a village near Malvern has been ordered to pay nearly £600 in a case which was brought by the Environment Agency.
Jan Bukowski from Tipton was caught by Environment Agency officers when he was caught fishing illegally at the Rivern Severn in Severn Stoke in July last year.
Bukowski pled guilty to taking fish from a private fishery, contrary to the Theft Act, and removing bream and eels contrary to Environment Agency national byelaws.
He was also convicted of fishing without a rod licence.
Environment Agency officers caught Bukowski illegally fishing in the small village as part of Operation Stone – a programme of targeted fisheries operations to reduce illegal fishing,
Bukowski was ordered to pay £567.47 in fines and costs by Redditch Magistrates court on Thursday after pleading guilty to four charges.
Equipment seized from Mr Bukowski at the time of the offence was also subject to a court deprivation order. This order will permanently deprive him of property used in committing or facilitating the offence
Following the verdict, an Environment Agency spokesman said: “Operation Stone continues to target illegal fishing on the Severn. We also work in partnership with the police on Operation Leviathan, all under the umbrella of the National Wildlife Crime Unit’s Project Poacher.
“Additionally, Angling Trust volunteers are keeping watch under Operation Clampdown national-wide this year. Poachers are more likely to be caught than ever before.
“Money raised from rod licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, benefiting all anglers. We hope that this case will provide yet another deterrent for any angler thinking of fishing illegally.”
As well as cheating other anglers, fishing illegally can carry a hefty penalty. Getting caught without an appropriate licence could land those caught with a fine of up to £2,500 and up to £50,000 for byelaw offences.
Last year, in England the Environment Agency checked over 62,000 rod licences and prosecuted more than 1,900 anglers for rod and line offences resulting in fines and costs in excess of £500,000.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
