Three Nottinghamshire anglers fined by Environment Agency for fishing illegally
Four anglers, three from Nottingham, have been fined more than £600 for their part in illegally fishing in Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. Mariusz Wolanski, 57, of Hartley Road, Nottingham, was caught illegally fishing using a keep net of less than 2 metres in length in Attenborough and was ordered to pay a £146 fine, costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £58.
The Nottingham man was found guilty alongside three other anglers at Northampton Magistrates' Court on Monday, January 13, 2025. Fisheries enforcement officers target illegal angling to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. A day's fishing licence would have cost just £7.10, or an annual fee of £35.80.
Stuart Gotheridge, 31, of Henrietta Street, Nottingham, was also found guilty of fishing in the absence of a licence at Beechwood Park, Elvaston, on July 3, 2024, and was ordered to pay a £220 fine, cost of £135, and a victim surcharge of £88.
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Zbigniew Malczak, of Hartley Road, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to using a keepnet of less than 2 metres in length and to fishing without a licence at Attenborough. He was fishing on the River Trent on 28 July 2024. He was fined £146 and ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £58.
The fourth angler, Matthew Mee, 52, of Long Close, Loughborough, also pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence at Pride Lakes, Hemington, on July 3, 2024. He was subsequently fined £146, costs £135, and a victim surcharge of £58.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We hope the penalties these illegal anglers have received will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of breaking the laws we have in place across England.
"Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500 and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, 7 days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
"Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of legal anglers."