Angling Trust / Environment

Agency Volunteer Bailiff

Scheme – Phase 1

Presentation content

EA Background and structure

Intelligence led enforcement – why we need your help & what we need from you

Fisheries Legislation, Theft Act, fish removal byelaw

Environment Agency structure

Six Regions in England - now gone!

Now 16 Areas and a national only

Comprises FRM, EP, Waste, WR, Nav, Fish..

Fisheries teams structured differently

Levels of activity

Rod Licence sales

Levels of activity cont.

Salmon & Seatrout net licence sales

Levels of activity cont.

Eel and elver licence sales

Levels of activity cont.

Crayfish consents

Levels of activity cont.

Fish movement consents

Levels of activity cont.

Rod licence checks and evasion

Intel Led Fisheries Enforcement

National Intelligence Team within NES

Need to be pro-active and identify problems

Whole picture, not reactive to small problems

Intel needs a joined up approach

Field FRB staff a good source of intel

Why we need your help

Reports of illegal fishing have increased

Why we need you help cont.

We have approx 100 fully warranted bailiffs

There are 65,000km of river and 30,000 stillwater fisheries in England & Wales.

Doubling our enforcement resource would still give each bailiff over 115 stillwaters and 250km of river

We need to take the intelligence led approach to enforcement

What we can’t do

EA has a good reputation with other law enforcement agencies and regulators

We are not able to ‘task’ informants or run CHIS

Surveillance requires authorisation under RIPA

Confidential sources need to be registered

What we want from you in Phase 1

Not much different from what you are doing now!

Observe and report with detail – no photos of suspected offenders

Incidents in progress reported on 24hr hotline

Information to co-ordinator for input to Memex

Shadowing of Fisheries enforcement officers

Fisheries legislation

Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act (amended)

Byelaws

Salmon Act

Fish Movement & Keeping SI (replaces ILFA)

Theft Act (schedule 1)

Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975

Original duty to maintain improve and develop fisheries

Provides for as system of licensing and regulation of salmon and freshwater fisheries

Much amended by Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009

Byelaws

National and Regional byelaws covering rod and net fisheries

Max fine increased to £50,000 and MaCAA

Rod and Line removal byelaw introduced June 2010, several successful prosecutions

Salmon Act 1986

Mainly relevant to Scotland

Introduced offence of ‘handling in suspicious circumstances’ for salmon & seatrout

MaCAA extended offence to all species in EA remit

Fish movement and keeping non-

native species (NNS)

Defra is pushing for action on NNS

Priority list for sturgeon and wels has been sent to Regions for action

We need info on where NNS species are and if permit is held/being complied with

Theft Act 1968 schedule 1- Fisheries

Fish in rivers not owned but offence to fish in waters where there is a private right of fishery even if fish are returned

No longer arrestable by ‘citizens’

Fish in stillwaters are owned. Consider theft of property (section1) if valuable specimens

EA may act where there are other (fisheries) offences committed

Any Questions2222..

Adrian Saunders

Senior Advisor, Fisheries Incidents & Compliance

07768 004040