An angler has been ordered to pay almost £250 after being found fishing at a Cornish lake without a licence. Harry Fernihough was caught out by the Environment Agency - which says "there's no excuse".
The 23-year-old, from Tresco Place, Falmouth, was taken to court following routine checks at Wheal Grey in Marazion. He pleaded guilty to fishing without a rod licence.
Fernihough was fined £130 when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court before Christmas. He was also ordered to pay £67 costs plus a £52 victim surcharge
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence. A one-day licence currently costs from £7.10 and an annual licence from £35.80.
Benjamin Pessl, Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officer, said: "Anyone who thinks ‘I don’t need to buy a rod licence, no one’s going to check’ is in the wrong. We do check, regularly, and we prosecute, always.
“Buying a rod licence is not expensive. There’s no excuse for not having one.”
Earlier last year Daniel Hoskin, 39, from Bodmin, got fines and charges of nearly £500 after being caught fishing without a licence at Bake Lakes in Saltash. Read the full story here.
And in November, William Greaves learned that a licence for the day would have cost him a fraction of what he was ordered to pay by magistrates. Greaves, 39, from Moorland Road, St Austell, pleaded guilty to fishing without a rod licence in Cornwall. He was fined £40 and ordered to pay a £16 victim surcharge. Read the full story here.
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.
Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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