Source: United Kingdom Government – Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is reminding anglers the ‘close season’ for coarse fish in rivers comes into effect from Monday 15 March and runs until 15 June.
The annual close season helps to protect fish stocks across England when they are spawning by preventing fishing for coarse fish in rivers, streams, drains and specified canals, as well as ‘sites of special scientific interest’ (SSSI) stillwaters.
Throughout the close season, Environment Agency (EA) officers conduct patrols to enforce the close season. As part of Operation CLAMPDOWN, now in its ninth year, Angling Trust (AT) volunteers support the EA by keeping watch on riverbanks and reporting incidents to the 24-hour incident hotline.