We have just published our Fisheries Annual Report for 2023 to 2024, which details how fishing licence income has been spent to improve fishing and fisheries throughout England.
Anyone 13 and over who fishes with a rod and line in freshwater in England and Wales must hold a valid rod licence. This is the law. However, this only tells half the story. When an angler pays for their licence not only are they upholding a legal requirement, they are also investing into a service which maintains, develops and improves freshwater fisheries.
In 2023 to 2024, 910,973 fishing licences were sold which generated an income of £22.53m. This income was reinvested to directly support angling and fisheries across England by boosting fish stocks, enhancing fishery habitats, providing more safe places to fish, combatting illegal fishing and ensuring a sustainable future for fisheries.
Some of the statistics to come out of the report demonstrate why buying a fishing licence is so important for both people and the environment.
Fishing licence income helped our fish farm at Calverton stock out over 470,000 coarse fish into rivers and stillwaters. This was done to kick-start the recovery of fisheries after they have recovered from issues such as pollution and environmental incidents or to bolster stocks in conjunction with habitat improvements. This Facebook post from our Great Ouse and Fenland Fisheries team shows how the work of Calverton is benefitting fisheries 
One of the key areas where fishing licence income makes a real difference to fisheries is through improvement projects. In 2023 to 2024 the Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) invested over £950,000 of licence monies into 232 projects which helped enhance river and stillwater fisheries. These projects directly benefitted over 100,000 anglers. The majority of this work was undertaken with partners such as angling clubs, charities and local rivers trusts and through partnership working this brought in an additional match funding of over £1,000,000.
The theme of partnership working runs throughout the report. In 2023 to 2024 the Environment Agency teamed up with over 500 partners demonstrating how combining resources with other organisations made fishing licence income go further and making an even greater impact. For example, we work with the Angling Trust, financing activities, carrying out joint enforcement patrols and working with them on projects to encouraging angling.
This includes the National Angling Strategic Services (NASS) contract through which the Angling Trust has introduced over 43,000 people to fishing, conducted 7,427 patrols, reported 1,021 fisheries enforcement incidents through their Voluntary Bailiff Service (VBS) and provided advice on 986 otter/fish-eating bird issues and 550+ invasive species cases.
Other notable contributions came from the Wild Trout Trust who through advice and projects enhanced 285km of river across England; the Institute of Fisheries Management holding a series of stillwater fisheries management workshops and the Riverfly Partnership which carried out 4,698 surveys to help monitor water quality in rivers.
And those who think they can get away with not buying a licence, not only breaking the law but also failing to support all the vital work carried out by us and our partners, they can think again! In 2023 to 2024 our Fisheries Enforcement Officers checked over 46,000 licences which led to 421 prosecutions and £76,485 in penalties. Unlicensed anglers can face fines of up to £2,500.
We would like to thank all those that have bought a fishing licence in 2023/24. Without the fishing licence customer, we would be unable to achieve all the investment detailed in the Annual Fisheries report, which together helps us to protect freshwater fisheries across England. Buy a rod fishing licence: Buy a rod fishing licence for England and Wales - GOV.UK
1 comment
Comment by Michael Thompson posted on
I wet a line yesterday in the River Dean in Handforth, and noted not one fish has been caught virtually all year on this stretch. What efforts are being taken to improve this river that at one time was a good fishery, as all to often the money seems to be spent on projects that forget this beautiful little river.