Enforcement

The FESS is the statutory lead on fisheries enforcement, through:

• Coordinating a multi-agency approach to fisheries crime and compliance, encouraging a partnership approach.
• Raising awareness throughout the police service, Crown Prosecution Service and Magistrates’ Association.
• Helping to advise the police and Environment Agency and helping put things right should the services fall short.
• Increasing incoming intelligence and sharing of that information.
• Upskilling the angling community through Fisheries Enforcement Workshops and the provision of expert advice to angling clubs and fisheries.
• Delivering the Voluntary Bailiff Service throughout England, empowering anglers to contribute to fisheries enforcement.
• Delivering the Building Bridges Project, aimed at the education and integration of migrant anglers.
• Delivering the Learning Management System to teach and train our enforcement content.

There are six Regional Enforcement Support Managers who are all retired police officers of immense experience. As anglers themselves, they understand the issues faced and the response required. Please do not hesitate to contact your Regional Enforcement Support Manager for professional enforcement advice – contact details can be found in the Meet the Team section below.

You can stay updated with our work by following the dedicated fisheries enforcement Facebook page here.

The Voluntary Bailiff Service (VBS) is a partnership between the Angling Trust and the Environment Agency which empowers anglers to support the police and EA in preventing poaching and fish theft to protect fish and fisheries. Since launching in 2015, the VBS has offered a unique opportunity for freshwater anglers in England to positively contribute towards supporting our enforcement work. Through patrols carried out on local waters, voluntary bailiffs provide information to the EA wich allows them to directly target areas known for illegal activity, resulting in many successful prosecutions each month.

The VBS is administered in six regions throughout England, each run by an Angling Trust Regional Enforcement Support Manager (RESM), who works very closely with the Environment Agency and police. These RESM’s also provide training to new Voluntary Bailiffs. Volunteers receive an identity card, Angling Trust clothing and, most importantly, access to the secure VBS website for reporting purposes and information sharing. Our bailiffs are trained to never approach anyone they think is acting suspiciously. The correct way of dealing with matters is to safely and discreetly gather evidence, and report this immediately to the Environment Agency.

Annually, the VBS participates in Operation Clampdown with the Environment Agency and police, cracking down on illegal fishing during the coarse fishing close season. This is a perfect opportunity to promote and increase partnership working, intelligence gathering and sharing – and for Voluntary Bailiffs to work directly with EA Fisheries Enforcement Officers on joint patrols.

In the year 2023/24, the VBS conducted 288 joint patrols with the EA and police and reported over 1,000 incidents.

All anglers can help this process by reporting information and offences in progress to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, or the police on 101/999 as appropriate.

Thanks to the current National Angling Strategic Services contract, the number of Voluntary Bailiffs will more than double to 1,400 over the next few years. You can help look after the waters near you by filling out the application form here.

The VBS is fully funded by fishing licence income delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency, and is inclusive, embracing volunteers from all ethnicities and both sexes. You do need to be 18 years old or over to apply. The Angling Trust is also a member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Nino Brancato, National Enforcement Support Manager

Joel Virgo. Enforcement Communications Manager

Nevin Hunter, Training Facilitator FishNET (Fisheries National Enforcement Training)

Gary Thomas, Intelligence Manager

Adam Wall, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (North West)

Kev Woodcock, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (North East)

Paul Thomas, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (Eastern England)

Kevin Pearson, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (Midlands)

Dave Wilkins, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (South West)

Tom Hopes, Regional Enforcement Support Manager (South East)

It is vital that all angling related and environmental crimes are reported to the Environment Agency and police when appropriate.
Most angling related crime falls under the ‘theft of fish’, or ‘theft of fishing rights’ (fishing without permission) bracket, but other crimes can also be committed.

Theft of fish in law:

Fish in rivers are wild animals, free to roam, so cannot be owned until reduced into property by catching. Fish in enclosed waters under single ownership are considered property and can be stolen. This is simple theft, contrary to Sections 1-7 of the Theft Act, 1968 – which every police officer in the country does understand. Schedule One of the Theft Act, please note, also applies to stillwaters.

When reporting the theft of fish from enclosed waters:

• Make clear that in enclosed waters fish under single ownership are property in law.
• That this is simply theft, contrary to Sections 1–7, Theft Act 1968.
• That (if applicable) the offence is in progress.
• That the fish are financially quantifiable.
• The theft is not a matter for the EA, but the police.
• The offender has no written consent from the riparian owner or controller of fishing rights to remove the fish.

The EA incident hotline is open 24 hours a day on 0800 80 70 60, and we would advise you to also report these incidents to the police on 101, online or 999 for a crime still in progress.

Thanks to Environment Agency funding through rod licence sales, the Angling Trust has produced FishNET – a completely free to use online Learning Management System (LMS) dedicated to educating our volunteers, club bailiffs, and those involved in law enforcement.

You can find more information about FishNET and start the courses today by clicking here.

The Angling Trust encourages all anglers to comply with the law and buy an Environment Agency rod licence. The funds raised from licence sales are spent on improving fish stocks and promoting angling, including several programmes of work delivered by the Angling Trust itself.

The prosecutions data is provided periodically by the Environment Agency, and only refers to prosecutions of anglers that were conducted by courts in England in the month stated. It does not include resolutions by way of cautions, warning letters or advice and guidance letters.

Click here for the most recent prosecutions

Everyone from the age of 13 upwards needs to have their own rod fishing licence. This is a legal requirement even when fishing on private land.

Click here for more information and to buy a rod licence