licence dodgers

[dazalio]

i'm pround to report that yesterday i was reading my local paper (evening gazette) and saw this:

Fewer anglers reeled in Jun 4 2002



FEWER ANGLERS REELED IN
By The Evening Gazette


A blitz on North-East fishing licence dodgers has shown a drop in the number of anglers breaking the rules.

In a two-day clampdown by the Environment Agency, 116 waters were visited in the region and 1,455 anglers checked.

Just 3.5pc of anglers were unable to produce a licence, compared to 4.3pc during the same period last year.

Figures for anglers unable to produce a licence in other regions were: North-west 5.9pc, Midlands 6.4pc, South-west 5.3pc, Southern 7.2pc, Welsh 11.9pc, Anglian 4.5pc and Thames 9.5pc.

Steve Chambers, regional fisheries officer, said: "It is great to see the North-east has the lowest evasion rates in the country. Anglers across the region have shown themselves to be responsible people who care about their environment."

But he added: "It is a shame that there are still a few people who fish without a licence. Our professional enforcement teams will remain vigilant and if we catch anyone fishing without a licence we will prosecute."

what's everyone else local areas figures for licence evasion?

ALIO,

 

[dave k]

The biggest problem is that it depends on were you live as to how active the EA bailiffs are.

Areas in the south that have a high proportion of comercial waters are getting hammered hard as there is a higher concentration of anglers in one spot.

plus we have the problem of when anglers go fishing, some fish mornings some fish afternoons, some fish evenings, some fish private waters, some fish rivers.

they need a lot of bailiffs to cover all the waters and all the times that anglers are likely to be fishing.

it is not a perfect system but it is getting better.

i do get annoyed when people start saying i have never had my licence checked in all the years i have fished......just think first before you say that. when were you fishing and were? if i was in charge of enforcment in the EA i too would target mainly comercial waters.

i am lucky enough to live in the anglian region which in my opinion has a very pro-active fisheries team. they do a lot of work to encorage young anglers by holding roadshows etc, and also do a lot of work to improve the rivers and stillwaters in our area.

during the autumn and winter there were as many as 10 EA personel on our stretch of river alone, they have done several survays for us, and given us fish every year from further upstream that is controled by a trout club.

our own club has got a good relationship with our local fisheries team, hence the reason i get annoyed when i hear peole criticising them. try contacting your local office and getting to know the fisheries teams in your own areas. they are usally all dedicated anglers and are more than willing to help out clubs and organisations

Dave Kennedy
http://usscangling.cjb.net

 

[norm]

dazalio

what do you expect from us lads in the northeast

as honist as the day is long (lol)

we do not have many commercial waters and not mutch is done for us ,but we still contribute to the southern areas

and dont complain

we still pay for our licence

and i can honistly say that i do not know of any single thing that has been done in our area,

as i have to travell for miles every sunday to catch a fish

never mind 21 is still worth every penny

it isn`t the size of the tiddler that counts

 

[Trogg]

Well said Dave

I've given up on fighting the EA's corner as some people just don't seem to understand that because they can't "see" where the licence money has been spent then it must be going to waste.

No one seems to think of fish farming , restockings, bailiffing in high licence dodging areas & of course pollution problems.

I've known you for quite a while now & i know how much you support the EA (same here) & for that you'll get "grief" from some who seem to get a wierd kind of pleasure from hammering the EA.

Now i'm going to ask a question & am looking forward to the response.

All those who keep saying "i've never had my licence checked" how would you feel if Toma or myself were EA bailiffs & came along while you were enjoying your days fishing & asked to see you're licence, then ten minutes later another one comes along & asks to see your licence??

If this happened everytime you went fishing you'd be on here complaining because you have been asked again & again wouldn't you?.

You can say "no" now but if it happened i believe that a lot of you would.

You could look at it along these lines,

The reason you haven't been asked to produce your licence is because you look like an honest angler & a bailiff may have passed you & you wouldn't even know it, not all bailiffs wear green wellies, flat cap, wax jacket, tweed waistcoat & have a spaniel along side them every where they go. (unless they're called Martin

).


If those of you complaining are that bothered try contacting your local EA office & volunteer your services free of charge, then you can walk along the bank & ask some huge gorrilla of a man if you can see his licence.



I know i know i said i wasn't going to fight the EA's corner but i can't seem to help myself.



Alan
You've just been moderated

 

[norm]

trogg

i have only been asked for my licence once

but that does not bother me in the least

as some one else said in a nother thread

i get a tv one every year but i am never asked to show it

so what just get a licence and stop winging (that is for others not you trogg)

dave you may have locked that other thread but i bet it is not long before you have to lock this one also (lol)

see yas later
norm

it isn`t the size of the tiddler that counts

 

[MALC]

Norm,

Told you not to go there

Malc

Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com

 

[Ziptrev]

Hi Alan,
Here's a response for you LOL,
You say that people keep complaining about NOT being checked for licences, when I have posted that I have been checked 3 timesd since October without complaint!
According to your post, people who don't get checked 'look like an honest Angler'
By implication then , I look like a dishonest Angler?
You support the EA and others get a weird sense of pleasure from hammering them.So by implication, anyone who doesnt agree with your views is 'Weird'

LOL, I know you didnt mean that , but we had an expert quote puller out in isolation on the last topic thread, that caused all the dissension.
BTW Dave K I'm glad to see you on this one, as the same guy gave his opinion that I criticised you over spelling!
That was not the intention at all, as you subsequently proved with an erudite post, that spelling was not a problem.
My reaction was simply this.
For your 1st post on the topic, you seemed to imply that we on MD's did not have the intelligence to find the EA site, when we have linked to it many times before over this and other topics!
Secondly , you implied, or rather stated that we were too lazy,
My point over the spelling was to highlight that we were not to lazy to check our spelling before posting!
But as I say, we had an expert manipulator on board, who , you will not be suprised to hear has still not contacted me over helping with the promise of kit!
Finally, As you may see elsewhere, I have more than enough kit to start off the guy that I know needs help and have currently no one else in mind for the extra kit I was trying to build.

If you have an on going programme and people in mind, you are welcome to it.

Whilst I accept that 'free fish' and local help would colour anyone's thinking, I do feel that the areas without these organised resources, such as norm mentions, would look at that as an I'm alright Jack attitude and be less impressed (not weird)
The overall policies , unproven fish shelters etc. leave me still wondering why these projects consume so much money.

Back to the licence question.
The law gives a maximum fine applicable to an offence.
It is the Job of the EA Solely to lobby for the Maximum Sentence to be passed in view of the loss of our money they suffer when the costs of prosecution outweigh the receipts.
Magistrates should also be allowed to use the discretionary powers inbuilt into most offences, which was my other point!
Not bothering to turn up etc. shows contempt and the maximum should then be automatic.
If they get no satisfaction from their pressure and published this fact, then Anglers could be organised to petition on their behalf.

I dont think Bambi needs any more discontented voters at the moment and his old boss Derry is Lord Chancellor, so it should not be beyond the EA to get the recommendation pushed through.

Cheers all

Trev
BTW Troggy, I'd sooner be a Bailiff than a Traffic Warden!

Ziptrev Shouldn't happen to a DOG!

Edited by - Ziptrev on 08 June 2002 05:19:33 AM

 

[martin.]

hi all
thanks for description trogg lol
im only a bailiff for our local club & a local lake i have been asked by EA bailiffs a few times for rod licence when i have been fishing i have also seen some of the work they do water qulity, fish health ,electro fishing,stocking & removing stock our club has also had a lot of invaluable info &advice from the EA so for all my experiances i can only praise them.
before people knock the EA they may try asking there local club what dealings they have had with the EA & what the outcome was as i know a lot of the work done is not even published & because a person does not himself see smething being done does not mean nothing is being done.
(trogg havnt got a spaniel but have a friend with a german sheperd
& it wouldnt be the first time that has accompanied me on the bank
failing that ive got the missus)

tight lines.
martin.

 

[Trogg]

Martin

How dare you call your missus a dog

Trev

About the spelling, please remember some of us are dyslexic & its only through using the computer that my fingers have learnt to type the right words in the right way without me having to concentrate really hard, i know others who are the same which is why we moderators don't correct spelling mistakes.


NOW the other idea you mention has been running around in my cranial cavity for a while (well there's no brain in there according to some)

.

How about we, the MD'ers start a petition & get a link to it posted on all the other sites asking for licence dodgers to be given the maximum penalty or to at least have a minimum penalty set??

When there's enough names on it we'll get it printed off & sent to bambi (if he's still in by then) of course when he realises how many votes he "could" win if he agreed to the petition something may get done.

You can't help but wonder how many of the judges/magistrates are fluff flingers & if they realised how much money was being thrown away from their fun due to licence dodgers they also might start to impose heavier fines.

IMO the old "i can't afford to pay" wouldn't work because you can pay a fine weekly at very little payments (starts around 1:50) of course if they do have to pay a fine they might not be able to buy baits etc to go fishing either but then again they'd still need the licence for it.



Alan
You've just been moderated

Edited by - Trogg on 08 June 2002 12:15:28 PM

 

[darryl]

sign me up

work`s for them who can`t fish

 

[darryl]

by the way my suggestion would be for the minimum to be 10% of the maximum 2500=250 now that is only fair because they no what they are doing

work`s for them who can`t fish

 

[Dave]

That's a good idea Alan and if enough people are up for it I'll sort something out

I like you idea as well Daz, 250 might be just enough to make people sit up and take notice.

Dave

 

[ada]

all fishery owners should ask to see licences before they issue day tickets,that way if an angler is responsible enough to buy a licence then they will probably respect the venue and its surroundings.the only problem would be the "give me your fiver" owners,who would issue tickets regardless.I have fished most weekends since I was 7 I am now 35,I have had my rod licence checked once,for the love of fishing I will never complain at the licence or the price, 21 a year an absolute bargain.

 

[Observer]

It never ceases to amaze me how a subject like this ALWAYS gets anglers hot under the collar, on this and other forums. Angling is a sport and like all sports has to be paid for, the fact that ours is probably the cheapest around seems to be overlooked every time. If we had to pay for all the enforcement that seems to be demanded we would be paying 121 a year not 21 as now.
Just in case anyone is in any doubt o) all the fines that are (quite rightly) imposed on cheats do not go to the EA they go direct to the Exchequer the only money the EA get is any costs that may be imposed and the EA cannot claim more than it actually costs to take the case to court.
Surely as members of the same brotherhood we should all be pulling together and not sniping at each other for expressing sincerely held opinions about a sport we love. Nor should we be trying to open the old north/south didvide O) (naughty Norm) LOL. Without the support of the majority of honest anglers the EA's job would be much more difficult than it already is.

 

[Ziptrev]

Well that really is interesting, I wasnt aware of that!
Which means that the EA would be wasting its time pushing for Maximum fines as they would not receive the benefit!
Although they would recieve the new fees for non licence holders who are deterred into buying a licence I suppose.
Thanks for that Observor! and welcome to the forum.
Hope you can add more of those!

Trev

Ziptrev Shouldn't happen to a DOG!

 

[Dave]

Welcome aboard Observer

And thanks for the input,

Regards, Dave

FAQ: Can I be notified by e-mail when there are new posts ?
Yes, the 'Subscribe to' feature allows you to subscribe to individual Categories, Forums and Topics. You will receive an e-mail notifying you when a post has been made.

 

[norm]

naughty norm (lol)

i wonder who you are observer

i think you may be a regular in disguise

just having fun mate

what i ment was at the amount of fine that non licence payers get,

as i think it has to be put into presective with other serious crimes

i allways get a licence

as i am a good lad (lol)

see yas later
norm

it isn`t the size of the tiddler that counts

 

[Observer]

Went fishing today

why do I bother

Anyway-----coincidence or what? I had my license checked and the sigh of relief when found mine at the bottom of my box could be heard a mile away. I ALWAYS put/throw my license in my box on the day I buy it and then forget about it, in fact I found last years and the year befores as well under the plywood base of the box and the bailiffs face was a picture as I unfolded both these out of date licenses. After he had checked my license we got talking and it turns out that there are only two part time license checkers in the whole of Kent, when I asked the reason why he said that because it was a job that meant being out in all weathers and wasnt very well paid there were not many applications.
So now we know why licenses arn't checked very often:-
>rubbish job,

>rubbish pay,

>rubbish weather,

>stroppy anglers

>magistrates not prepared to impose highest fines

>whats the point?

Maybe we should start a Norf and Sarf

campaign for decent pay for EA license checkers.

And no I am not a regular in disguise just someone who has been observing this and other forums for a while and have decided to voice my opinion on this and other subjects.

 

[norm]

observer i was only joking mate

and it has nothing to do with magistrates as they can only give out what they are told to

see yas later
norm

it isn`t the size of the tiddler that counts

 

[Ziptrev]

norm,
I think over the point of fines, magistrates are generally given a band or range.
I believe if I was a Bailiff suffering the conditions described, i would want the magistrate to impose the max or towards the top end.
I dont think its as simple as a fixed penalty, but an interpretive issue!
Of course I stand to be corrected!

Trev

Ziptrev Shouldn't happen to a DOG!