A Whitby man has been handed a 12-month community order for illegally fishing for salmon and sea trout.

William Arthur Elwick, 53, of Abbot’s Road, Whitby, must now carry out 240 hours of unpaid work after he was sentenced on Friday 24 March at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.

He had admitted two charges of gill net fishing without a licence after being caught red-handed on 4 July 2016.

Chris Bunting, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that enforcement officers caught Elwick while they were carrying out night-time patrols along the lower River Esk and tideway.

At around 12.30am near Chainbridge Riverside Retreats, Ruswarp, officers discovered a gill net that was stretched across the full width of the river. They heard splashing at several points of the net where fish had become entangled.

Another gill net was found upstream near Briggswath, again stretching across the full width of the river.

The investigating officers carried out covert surveillance of the nets and called in the police to help search for the culprit. Elwick was found hiding in a bush.

He had in his possession 23 sea trout and two salmon. These were seized, along with his nets and other equipment.

Gill nets are illegal to use within inland waters. An examination of the seized fish revealed clear signs of physical harm including lacerations along fins, with bloodied wounds and scale loss. This damage is consistent with the fish having been captured in an entanglement net, such as a gill net.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said after the hearing:

Illegal fishing of this kind is a crime, and we will investigate and prosecute anyone who is caught breaking the law.

The River Esk has a relatively small catchment and any significant illegal fishing activity will inevitably have a major impact on fish populations. The illegal netting of salmon and sea trout poses a threat to the wider ecology of the River Esk, including the fresh water pearl mussel which relies on salmon and sea trout for their life cycle. The Yorkshire Esk is one of the few rivers in the United Kingdom that still has a population of pearl mussels.

We are grateful to North Yorkshire Police for their support in apprehending the defendant. Anyone who believes that illegal fishing is taking place should report the matter to our incident hotline on 0800 807060 so we can investigate.

A representative from the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust said after the hearing:

Elwick’s actions were illegal and damaging to the local ecology of the River Esk. This type of crime also has a detrimental impact on the local economy. By taking these fish illegally with the intent of selling them off for personal profit, Elwick is depriving his neighbours up the Esk valley the chance to make legitimate income from these fish which studies have shown are worth about ten times as much to local businesses than the value Eldwick will have gained.

Our message to local people is to be aware of where you buy your fish. Only buy from a reputable seller, and if you believe someone is trading in illegally-caught fish, report the matter to the Environment Agency.

In mitigation, the defendant told the court that he had committed the offences during a period of unemployment and that he would have sold the fish had he not been apprehended. At that point he hadn’t been entitled to benefits and had no income. Elwick is now back in full-time employment.

He was also ordered to pay £2,985 in legal costs.

A Whitby man has been handed a 12-month community order for illegally fishing for salmon and sea trout.

William Arthur Elwick, 53, of Abbot’s Road, Whitby, must now carry out 240 hours of unpaid work after he was sentenced on Friday 24 March at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.

He had admitted two charges of gill net fishing without a licence after being caught red-handed on 4 July 2016.

Chris Bunting, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that enforcement officers caught Elwick while they were carrying out night-time patrols along the lower River Esk and tideway.

At around 12.30am near Chainbridge Riverside Retreats, Ruswarp, officers discovered a gill net that was stretched across the full width of the river. They heard splashing at several points of the net where fish had become entangled.

Another gill net was found upstream near Briggswath, again stretching across the full width of the river.

The investigating officers carried out covert surveillance of the nets and called in the police to help search for the culprit. Elwick was found hiding in a bush.

He had in his possession 23 sea trout and two salmon. These were seized, along with his nets and other equipment.

Gill nets are illegal to use within inland waters. An examination of the seized fish revealed clear signs of physical harm including lacerations along fins, with bloodied wounds and scale loss. This damage is consistent with the fish having been captured in an entanglement net, such as a gill net.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said after the hearing:

Illegal fishing of this kind is a crime, and we will investigate and prosecute anyone who is caught breaking the law.

The River Esk has a relatively small catchment and any significant illegal fishing activity will inevitably have a major impact on fish populations. The illegal netting of salmon and sea trout poses a threat to the wider ecology of the River Esk, including the fresh water pearl mussel which relies on salmon and sea trout for their life cycle. The Yorkshire Esk is one of the few rivers in the United Kingdom that still has a population of pearl mussels.

We are grateful to North Yorkshire Police for their support in apprehending the defendant. Anyone who believes that illegal fishing is taking place should report the matter to our incident hotline on 0800 807060 so we can investigate.

A representative from the Yorkshire Esk Rivers Trust said after the hearing:

Elwick’s actions were illegal and damaging to the local ecology of the River Esk. This type of crime also has a detrimental impact on the local economy. By taking these fish illegally with the intent of selling them off for personal profit, Elwick is depriving his neighbours up the Esk valley the chance to make legitimate income from these fish which studies have shown are worth about ten times as much to local businesses than the value Eldwick will have gained.

Our message to local people is to be aware of where you buy your fish. Only buy from a reputable seller, and if you believe someone is trading in illegally-caught fish, report the matter to the Environment Agency.

In mitigation, the defendant told the court that he had committed the offences during a period of unemployment and that he would have sold the fish had he not been apprehended. At that point he hadn’t been entitled to benefits and had no income. Elwick is now back in full-time employment.

He was also ordered to pay £2,985 in legal costs.

New members are being sought for the Anglian Northern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) – helping shape and approve local flood defence plans, raise local levy funding and influence the future of the environment.

The Anglian Northern RFCC works with the Environment Agency on key schemes to reduce flood risk across Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire – for example the Humber Strategy, Louth & Horncastle flood reservoirs and Boston Barrier scheme.

The RFCC funds innovation and partner-led projects and plays an important role during flood incidents, supporting staff, colleagues and communities before, during and after an event.

Committee members have a critical role in supporting the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities. We are looking for individuals with skills or knowledge in one or more of the following backgrounds:

• Community engagement and/or flood incident management
• Partnership funding & contributions, infrastructure and the economy
• Media, public relations & communications
• General flood & coastal risk management expertise

Applicants do not need to be technical experts in flood and coastal risk management, though some understanding of the processes and impacts of flooding are desirable. We need people who can think strategically, know how to engage and influence individuals, communities and networks, and understand the need for innovation and efficiency.

The Committee meets 4 times a year, though candidates may be asked to attend additional meetings. RFCC members are all appointed as impartial individuals in their own right and not as representatives of any particular organisation. It is important that the committee members represent the communities they serve. These are unpaid roles but reasonable expenses, including travel, can be claimed.

The Environment Agency is keen to hear from anyone who may be interested. More information and details about how to apply can be found on our Anglian Northern RFCC page.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 10 May 2017.

If you have further questions, contact the RFCC Secretariat by email or on 0203 025 5877.

New members are being sought for the Anglian Northern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) – helping shape and approve local flood defence plans, raise local levy funding and influence the future of the environment.

The Anglian Northern RFCC works with the Environment Agency on key schemes to reduce flood risk across Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire – for example the Humber Strategy, Louth & Horncastle flood reservoirs and Boston Barrier scheme.

The RFCC funds innovation and partner-led projects and plays an important role during flood incidents, supporting staff, colleagues and communities before, during and after an event.

Committee members have a critical role in supporting the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities. We are looking for individuals with skills or knowledge in one or more of the following backgrounds:

• Community engagement and/or flood incident management
• Partnership funding & contributions, infrastructure and the economy
• Media, public relations & communications
• General flood & coastal risk management expertise

Applicants do not need to be technical experts in flood and coastal risk management, though some understanding of the processes and impacts of flooding are desirable. We need people who can think strategically, know how to engage and influence individuals, communities and networks, and understand the need for innovation and efficiency.

The Committee meets 4 times a year, though candidates may be asked to attend additional meetings. RFCC members are all appointed as impartial individuals in their own right and not as representatives of any particular organisation. It is important that the committee members represent the communities they serve. These are unpaid roles but reasonable expenses, including travel, can be claimed.

The Environment Agency is keen to hear from anyone who may be interested. More information and details about how to apply can be found on our Anglian Northern RFCC page.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 10 May 2017.

If you have further questions, contact the RFCC Secretariat by email or on 0203 025 5877.

In order to successfully deliver our mission, NDA needs to ensure that it is technically underpinned by sufficient and appropriate R&D and that our estate has access to the skills and capability to carry out the mission efficiently and effectively on the required timescales.

University R&D plays an important role in this delivery through:

• maintenance and/or development of key technical skills required to deliver the decommissioning plans
• early-stage development of decommissioning technologies (e.g. technology at low technology readiness levels)
• application/adaption of existing technologies to radioactive environments
• informing the development of strategy and policy
• advancement and transfer of knowledge with regard to decommissioning
• providing fundamental understanding of underpinning science and engineering of key processes or technologies deployed on our sites
• identification of R&D opportunities arising from current and future projects