Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers in the North East are continuing their crackdown on illegal angling.

This week they carried out boat patrols on the River Tees on the lookout for people fishing illegally. On Wednesday they reported two men for fishing for pike during the coarse fishing close season near Preston Park.

The close season prevents fishing for coarse fish for 3 months to give the fish a chance to breed. It runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive.

Kevin Summerson, Fisheries Enforcement Technical Specialist with the Environment Agency in the North East, said:

The Environment Agency’s role is to protect fish stocks and improve fisheries. This includes rescuing fish in distress, improving habitat and restocking rivers across the region which have been affected by pollution or poor fish passage.

However, the close season means fish are left alone during the spring to allow them the opportunity to breed. During this time our specialist enforcement teams police illegal fishing as they do all year round to ensure compliance with the law.

Licences checked

Enforcement officers have checked around 500 anglers since the beginning of April so far, with most being fully licensed and compliant. Enforcement officers have reported 15 people for offences.

During March the Environment Agency prosecuted nine anglers at courts in the North East for unlicensed fishing and associated offences, resulting in fines and costs totalling almost £2,000. Kevin added:

We take all kinds of illegal fishing very seriously, whether it’s those fishing without a licence or licensed anglers using illegal equipment.

It’s not fair on other anglers who make sure they fish within the law, and also endangers the future of the sport by damaging the sustainability of fish stocks. It’s really important people report information about suspected illegal fishing to us so we can investigate.

The Environment Agency’s work is intelligence-led and they work closely with partners to target known hot spots and where illegal fishing is reported. It urges anyone to report illegal fishing by calling 0800 80 70 60.

Coarse fishing is still allowed on most still waters and canals, depending on fishery owner agreement, though a valid fishing licence is still required. You can check which still waters and canals still have a close season in operation by checking the byelaws which apply in your area online

Anyone who wants to go fishing needs to buy a fishing licence. A full annual licence costs from just £30 (short term and some concessionary licences are also available) and are available online

The National Waste Programme (NWP) is a cross-UK programme of work to lead the ongoing implementation and delivery of the UK Nuclear Industry Solid LLW Strategy.

The NWP covers all nuclear industry waste producers including those in the NDA estate, the public sector and the private sector. The NWP is led by LLW Repository Ltd on behalf of the NDA (who are responsible for leading strategy implementation for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The NWP works collaboratively with its stakeholders to produce a Blueprint and Benefit Map to show the direction of travel for strategy implementation. The activities to deliver the strategy are executed by the stakeholders of the NWP, for example by waste producers through their waste management practices.

Find out more about the National Waste Programme; established to implement the UK LLW Strategy. An industry-wide collaboration led by LLWR on behalf of the NDA.

The UK is stepping up its support to fight global environmental challenges, with a greater focus on protecting the world’s oceans and tackling the illegal wildlife trade, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Environment Secretary Michael Gove have announced today (Thursday 26th April).

At the Global Environment Facility conference in Stockholm, the UK joined 29 other international donors to recommit for a further four years to help developing countries tackle global environmental degradation.

Following pressure from the UK, this year’s Global Environment Facility replenishment will result in more funding to protect the marine environment, including from plastic waste pollution, and to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

With this seventh round of support, the GEF is planning to protect around 600 million hectares of land and marine habitats – an area equivalent to 24 times the size of the UK – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1600 million metric tonnes – the equivalent of an average car driving 4 million miles.

The UK’s commitment of up to £250 million over the next four years is an increase on the last pledge of £210 million from 2014-2018, and maintains the UK’s leadership on tackling environmental challenges that threaten global stability and security. Twenty per cent of the UK’s support is also conditional on GEF making continual improvements to achieve maximum impact.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The world’s poorest communities are often the worst affected by environmental change. Extreme climates cause devastating drought and hunger, while deforestation and pollution destroy people’s livelihoods and health.

The UK’s long-running partnership with the Global Environment Facility has already achieved great change – cutting greenhouse gas emissions and protecting land – and now, we’re working with our international partners to do more so that together we can clean our oceans of plastic waste and fight the illegal wildlife trade.

This will help developing nations, but, as we are all affected by the environment, it is a win for us in the UK too.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Environmental challenges do not respect borders. It is only through co-ordinated international action that we can clean up our oceans and protect wildlife. Our funding to the Global Environment Facility makes a vital difference.

The 25 Year Environment Plan demonstrates a commitment to global leadership. It makes clear our priorities of ending the illegal trade in wildlife and reducing plastic waste. These efforts will prevent damage to our seas and the wider natural environment.

Notes to editors

• The UK Government – through the Department for International Development (DFID) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – has pledged £250 million to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for its seventh replenishment.
• The UK’s commitment of up to £250m over 2018-2022 is an increase on the last pledge of £210m for the 2014-2018 replenishment, and maintains the UK’s leadership on tackling global environmental challenges and our position as the fourth largest contributor to the fund.
• To incentivise GEF to achieve the targets, we are making 20% of our overall replenishment funding contingent on GEF’s continual improvement and achieving maximum impact.
• The UK has sought and successfully achieved a substantial increase in GEF funding for a range of priority topics, including:
  • an increase for the Global Wildlife Programme tackling the illegal wildlife trade;
  • increases for managing chemicals and waste – including plastic;
  • an increase for international waters in recognition of pressures on the marine environment.
• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was set up in 1991, and supports developing countries to tackle major environmental challenges including wildlife loss, land degradation, deforestation, chemical pollution, marine and freshwater degradation, and climate change.
• Since its inception in 1991 the Global Environment Fund has successfully protected 860 million hectares of land – an area larger than Brazil – and contributed to 2.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emission reductions through 760 climate change protection projects.

Information about certificates on the energy efficiency of domestic and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales that have been constructed, sold, or let since 2008, and of larger public authority buildings since 2008. These statistics do not cover the entire building stock across England and Wales.

Figures are drawn from 2 datasets on the Energy Performance of Buildings Registers:

• Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for domestic and non-domestic properties covering England and Wales

• Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for larger buildings occupied by public authorities in England and Wales

The Environment Agency consult the public on certain applications for the abstraction and impoundment of water.

These notices explain:

• what the application is about
• which Environment Agency offices you can visit to see the application documents on the public register
• when you need to comment by