The case was brought by the Environment Agency. Williamson denied using a net to catch fish when their use was limited, but he was found guilty after a trial at Poole Magistrates Court on 18 May 2023. Williamson was ordered to pay a total penalty of £384.
At the time of the offence in June 2021, a net limitation order was in place at Christchurch Harbour. This meant the Environment Agency had granted no net licences to fish for salmon and sea trout in the harbour, in order protect at risk populations.
But when Environment Agency fisheries officers, working with officers from the Inshore…
