A 26 year-old Durham man has been fined £100 and ordered to pay £300 court costs after he was found guilty of fishing for migratory salmon without a valid rod licence.
John Hopper, of Bradford Crescent, Durham denied the offence which took place on October 3, 2006 but was found guilty by Durham magistrates when he appeared in court yesterday. (10/10/2007)
The case was brought by the Environment Agency after officers viewed CCTV footage of a man, which they identified as Hopper, fishing on the River Wear at Framwellgate, Durham.
Officers identified the fish which was caught, as a large migratory fish, and found that Hopper had no angling licence for these species. At the time of the offence, the cost of a migratory trout and salmon licence would have been £65.
During the court case, Hopper claimed that he had been fishing for chub, which is not a migratory species, and which he held a valid coarse fishing licence for.
Speaking after the court case, Environment Agency fisheries enforcement team leader Kevin Summerson said Hopper had been arrested as part of his team’s major anti-poaching operation at Framwellgate Waterside.
The two-month operation called Operation Nicotine was carried out last Autumn and uncovered 13 offences, and has so far led to five prosecutions.
Kevin said: “We have identified a problem at a Framwellgate Waterside where poachers are taking migrating salmon and sea trout.
“As a result Environment Agency staff have increased their patrols of the area, and worked with the local authority to use its CCTV equipment to bring offenders to court. This latest conviction continues our success in this area.”
Salmon and sea trout fishing is a valuable contributor to the region’s economy. Studies have shown that every rod-caught salmon can generate as much as £4,600 for the local economy, for example in accommodation costs, food and equipment.
Kevin said: “The Environment Agency will always take action against offenders to ensure that this valuable natural resource is protected.”
