Cashing in or confessing?

[Anderoo]

Replying to the initial question, cashing in. There will no doubt be an editorial along the lines of he did wrong but bitterly regrets it, and everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure he regrets getting caught but it was hardly a 'mistake' was it?

[Dick Dastardly]

If they had been caught using a tub of roach at a UK gravel pit,then held their hands up and admited to have been doing it for thirty years and gave their reasons why and not regreted doing it only that they had to break the law in the first place I would have had some respect.

 

It may sound hypocritical of me (being someone who has openly admited to breaking EA rules on the matter of livebaits) but to me what they did wasnt the same and I wish people would see the difference.Also the way they "mugged" us all off with the "just keeping our deads fresh" line was hardly "holding their hands up".

 

As a fellow piker who uses livebaits (and moves them) I was more angry at the irresponsible way these guys did this more than the fact that they broke the law.All though once again in my book (and the eyes of the law) there is a big difference in attempting to import a non indigenous species and transfering a few fish without the correct consent.

 

It has been sugested that they were bubbled to the authorities.Im sure this is true as routine or even random checks arnt the norm. Not very nice if it was done on the grounds of jealousey as has been sugested.

 

For me this raises an interesting question ie if I was privy to similar information what would I do? Before I answer I will let a few of you say.

[dogstick]

The whole article has not been printed yet Brian and I have not read it either, I do not know if he has been paid for the interview by AT, I will try to find out, ...at least he has always held his hands up for his "crime" that does him some credit in my eyes.

 

Absolutely no credit at all in my eyes,he knew exactly what he was up to.This man should have the book thrown at him,blatant disregard of rules(and laws),no thought about spreading fish disease`s,introducing alien species and all from a guy who is supposed to be one of the top Pike anglers(cheat?).All those Southern waters(and gradually working it`s way up here) suffering from the Signal crayfish,well our sport is suffering because fools like this think of themselves only.Banned for life wouldn`t be enough in my eyes he`s obviously not responsible enough to be granted a rod license.

Soap box collapses

DS

[Dick Dastardly]

I cant see the crayfish link Dogstick?

[dogstick]

I cant see the crayfish link Dogstick?

 

 

Sorry Budgie,I just meant to make a reference to the harm that can be done by the introduction of an alien species.Not too clearly when I read back through my post.

DS

Edited November 16, 2006 by dogstick

[Dick Dastardly]

Yes with you now DS.

[Bob Bradford]

Chris Bishop the PAC press officer pointed this to me via a phone call tonight;

 

Pike anglers were urged to follow the PAC’s code of conduct tonight after two high-profile anglers pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle livebaits from the UK to Ireland.

 

Holyhead magistrates heard Nigel Williams and Gary Banks were stopped in May as they boarded a ferry from Holyhead, North Wales, to Ireland.

 

Customs officers found 100 carp, roach and goldfish, in the boot of Williams’s car, the court was told.

 

Williams, 48, and Banks, 37, were travelling to Ireland for a fishing trip, taking the fish with them for use as bait. The men, both from Wolverhampton, were later charged with exporting live fish without a health certificate.

 

Williams, who did not attend the hearing, entered a guilty plea via letter to the court. Banks, who attended in person, also admitted the offence.

 

The case against Williams was adjourned until December 21 when he will be sentenced at the same court. Banks was fined £800 and ordered to pay £500 costs.

 

In a statement after the hearing, the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain said: "Our code of conduct calls on our members to respect byelaws and not to transfer fish illegally from water to water.

 

"We urge all pike anglers to fish responsibly and not to jeopardise either the waters they fish or the image of pike fishing, at a time when we are coming under increasing scrutiny.

 

"While there are those who would claim activities such as translocating livebaits are commonplace, there have only been a handful of prosecutions involving pike anglers since the translocation of baits without Environment Agency consent was banned."

 

Earlier Stephen Smith, prosecuting on behalf of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the court the transport of live fish without the correct documentation had been banned to prevent the spread of disease.

 

He said the case, which cost more than £5000, had been brought to deter other anglers.

 

“Mr Williams is something of a celebrity angler, he is very high profile in the angling world,” he added. “The defendants in this case knew what they were doing. They knew it was not appropriate to take live fish out of Wales to Ireland.

 

"These are two high profile anglers and we must be seen to take these processes seriously otherwise it opens the floodgates for other people.''

 

In a letter handed to the court, Williams said he "deeply regretted'' his actions. John Meredith, defending Banks, said his client was a recreational fisherman who was "very sorry'' for what he had done.

 

PAC chairman Colin Goodge said: "This is a sorry episode which reflects badly on pike fishing at a time when more than ever, we need to show that we are capable of pursuing our sport responsibly.

 

"British pike anglers have enjoyed the hospitality of the people of Ireland for more than three decades and it does us untold harm when this hospitality is abused, particularly by two prominent anglers who should be setting an example to others.

 

"In view of some of the threats our sport faces nearer home, we would urge all pike anglers - whether they are PAC members or not - to fish responsibly and in accordance with our code of conduct.''

[Dick Dastardly]

Well after reading that Bob it has only reinforced my opinions that the whole thing is a bag of sh1te!

 

This constant banging on about disease shows that even the people who have made these laws havnt got a clue about the whole issue!

 

The likelyhood of disease being spread like this is negligable.Although the fact that carp and goldfish were involved increases the chance that the fish may have been diseased.The real issue for me (from a fisheries point of view rather than an angler who live baits) is the fact that they had a non indigenous species,in fact one of the toughest surviving and invasive species we have in the UK! The long term afects of introducing carp to waters in Ireland being far more detrimental to the enviroment. But of course that would cause problems for the real culprits of disease and species translocation if that was made an issue of!

 

In fact the Irish make me laugh,(at this point please let me make it quite clear that I in no way condone the moving of non idigenous fish) they constantly bleat about English pikers introducing roach and chub (not proven of course) but bust their guts to try and get carp into their country!!!

 

I think the Holyhead two were very stupid taking baits to a place like Ireland where despite the so called livebaiting ban they are still easily obtained.They were exceptionally irresponsible taking carp and goldfish.They were unlucky to have been caught and I believe that the chance they were set up is very high.I also believe the motives for setting them up were most likely not very honourable.But I do believe it was right to punnish them.

 

What they were punnished for though was simply the system taking the easy way out and not in my mind for the right reasons.

 

Out of interest (unless the Law has changed) I presume it must have been a Northern Ireland (and therefore British) port they were sailing to? Otherwise I just cant understand how they were charged for exporting without a licence? I was under the impression that no offence had been commited untill the fish were introduced into a water.The reason being that it cant be an offence to export but only to import (dependant on the recieving countries regulations)?

 

I spent several years taking huge amounts of live fish to Europe without any paper work (other than health certificates if requested).All quite openly.In fact the customs guys at Dover were on first name terms with me.At the time I wasnt breaking any UK law.Allthough the legality of actually putting them in water in some countries was a bit grey that was down to their laws not UK.

[mark barrett]

Well after reading that Bob it has only reinforced my opinions that the whole thing is a bag of sh1te!

 

This constant banging on about disease shows that even the people who have made these laws havnt got a clue about the whole issue!

 

The likelyhood of disease being spread like this is negligable.Although the fact that carp and goldfish were involved increases the chance that the fish may have been diseased.The real issue for me (from a fisheries point of view rather than an angler who live baits) is the fact that they had a non indigenous species,in fact one of the toughest surviving and invasive species we have in the UK! The long term afects of introducing carp to waters in Ireland being far more detrimental to the enviroment. But of course that would cause problems for the real culprits of disease and species translocation if that was made an issue of!

 

In fact the Irish make me laugh,(at this point please let me make it quite clear that I in no way condone the moving of non idigenous fish) they constantly bleat about English pikers introducing roach and chub (not proven of course) but bust their guts to try and get carp into their country!!!

 

I think the Holyhead two were very stupid taking baits to a place like Ireland where despite the so called livebaiting ban they are still easily obtained.They were exceptionally irresponsible taking carp and goldfish.They were unlucky to have been caught and I believe that the chance they were set up is very high.I also believe the motives for setting them up were most likely not very honourable.But I do believe it was right to punnish them.

 

What they were punnished for though was simply the system taking the easy way out and not in my mind for the right reasons.

 

Out of interest (unless the Law has changed) I presume it must have been a Northern Ireland (and therefore British) port they were sailing to? Otherwise I just cant understand how they were charged for exporting without a licence? I was under the impression that no offence had been commited untill the fish were introduced into a water.The reason being that it cant be an offence to export but only to import (dependant on the recieving countries regulations)?

 

I spent several years taking huge amounts of live fish to Europe without any paper work (other than health certificates if requested).All quite openly.In fact the customs guys at Dover were on first name terms with me.At the time I wasnt breaking any UK law.Allthough the legality of actually putting them in water in some countries was a bit grey that was down to their laws not UK.

 

 

Bob,

 

i woud think that theres a good possibiity that the interview may have to be pulled, as nige has had his mcase adjourned so that he can attend court.

personally i think that he is going to be made an example of, probably with good reason.

[Bob Bradford]

Mark, How can Williams be any more guilty than Banks? surely the sentence will be the same ? £800 fine and £500 costs or to put it another way....what is Williams guilty of that Banks is not? please enlighten me.