Hi sorry to ask again but i have now been told by the enviroment agency that i do need a licence to take a group of children cray fishing. Am getting a little confused. what is the penalty for cray fishing without a licence? i have run out of time now so will not be able to get a licence.
i believe the penalty for catching crayfish without a licence can be pretty steep. there was a link somewhere on here to a news article about a fella who got caught up in cumbria trapping native crayfish whilst on holiday. i believe the bloke got a £4000 fine for what he saw as a harmless fishing outing.
i've just looked at the form i had to fill out for my licence
http://www.efishbusiness.co.uk/formsandguides/cr1.pdf and it does ask you to state what method you will be using to catch the non native crayfish ie trap, hand net etc.
you also have to fill out a form when the licence runs out detailing exactly what species you have caught, numbers, days trapping etc so the EA can keep tabs on population levels.
i know this has put a bit of a downer on your plans but it really isnt worth getting caught and being made an example of.
if you are serious about getting legit then the following points outlined below will ensure your success for the future.
1) find the landowner for the stretch of water/river you are planning to catch in and inquire whether they have fishing rights for the water and whether they would mind you fishing there.
2) phone up the EA and find out whether the crayfish infestation in that area is considered bad enough for them to grant a licence. i did this and they confirmed i would be granted a licence as long as i had landowner permission.
they will also know whether any native crayfish are in situ, bear in mind if there are native crayfish then a licence will not be granted.
3) if both above points are approved then you go out and find some crayfish traps that are within the legal dimensions as stated on the cr1 form (dont buy them yet!!!!). they have to be a certain size so any curious otters wont get their heads caught in the entrances and drown.
4) fill out the form and send it away to the EA along with your landowners permission letter. mine only took a week to come back with the tags that you attach to the traps.
5) buy your traps and start reaping the rewards
also as a footnote there are quite a few collapsible traps being flogged on ebay that have oversized entrances, this is easy to rectify just by cutting the wire frame down to size and securing with cable ties.