'No excuse' not to have rod licence

Routine checks are being carried out on anglers in Cornwall to ensure they have licences for fishing, with those who do not being warned they are necessary, the Environment Agency says.

The agency said one angler, a person who fishes with a rod and line, was recently fined £249 for fishing without one.

Benjamin Pessl, an 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."

He added: "Buying a rod licence is not expensive. There's no excuse for not having one."

The agency said a 23-year-old man from Falmouth pleaded guilty to fishing without a rod licence at Wheal Grey in Marazion.

He was fined £130 and ordered to pay £67 costs, plus a £52 victim surcharge, at Swindon Magistrates' Court on 17 December 2024.

The Environment Agency said any angler aged 13 or over fishing on a river, canal or still water needed a licence.

A one-day licence would cost from £7.10 to £13.20 and an annual licence cost from £35.80 to £90.40, it said.

Junior licences for 13 to 16-year-olds were free, it added.

The Environment Agency said it carried out enforcement work year-round and staff were supported by partners including police and the Angling Trust.

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