A Selby man was caught in the net after a crackdown on illegal fishing.
He was one of five men found guilty of fishing without a licence in Yorkshire.
Thomas Burns, of Johnson Street, Selby, pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Boston Spa, River Wharfe, Wetherby on 25 June last year.
Burns appeared at Hull and Holderness Magistrates’ Court on 4 January.
He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £136 including a fine of £40, costs of £80 and a victim surcharge of £16.
Jago Smith of Harrington Road, Bridlington was proved guilty of fishing without a licence at Thornwick Bay Caravan Park, Bridlington on 7 August at the same court session.
He was ordered to pay a total penalty of £443. The penalty includes a fine of £220, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £88.
Anglers from Pontefract, Rotherham and Wakefield were also fined. The fines to all five totalled almost £2,000.
Paul Caygill, Environment Agency fisheries enforcement officer, said: “These five anglers have been rightly punished for the illegal fishing they undertook last summer, and the cases show how seriously the courts take these offences.
“We hope the penalties received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws and byelaws we have in place across England.
“Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. Money raised from licence sales is re-invested back into the sport and, for those caught cheating the system, we will not hesitate to prosecute.”
Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, stream, drain, canal or still water needs a licence to fish.
Licences are available here.
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