Intend to fish from your boat- EVER in your life? You NEED to read this!

[Nos4r2]

It's a link to another forum, but we ALL need to do something about this. NOW.
EU article 47.
http://www.worldseafishing.com/forum...d.php?t=154951

[Polwart]

If you need to find the email address of your MEPs (you will have several) you will find it here:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/member...GB&language=EN

this is probably least fair and most hassle for the occasional angler than the regular sports fisherman. The occasional angler has least impact on stocks/quotas but would fact the same level of license/beaurocracy as the guy who is out every weekend.

[BruceB]

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by BruceB

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

It's the EU. They'll still try.

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by BruceB

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

You'll have a wildlife police officer somewhere in the Oban area - and it will be a lot easier for him to catch someone fishing off the pier than someone baiting badgers, stealing osprey eggs or shooting birds of prey - presumably he has targets to meet to justify his job too!

Even if it is never enforced that doesn't make it OK. Once in a while someone will get stung with a big fine or confiscation of kit etc. It will particularly penalise the guy who only fishes once a year when on holiday (boosting the tourist ecconomy); rather than the guys who are out every weekend who will quickly work out how to work the system!

[Steve Hackett]

We've already got all that nonsense here, 10kg bag limit, different licences for boat and shore fishing and for different areas.
I've had 1 for 2 years and have never been asked to produce it, they just have a blitz on it occasionally.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

It's the EU. They'll still try.

I was in Texas a few years ago on a fishing holiday,believe me it is possible to bring in this type of Draconian legislation.We had to first buy a state Licence and then fill in each fish of certain species we caught,along with the length, wieght ect.You then had to mark your licence accordingly yourself,and if checked[we were checked once during our stay] and anything was amiss you were for the high jump! a fact the local oil men we were staying with,made abundantly clear.
One thing to bear in mind is this governments track record of legislation overkill [more statutes in the last ten years than in the previous 100!!] and thier love of control, quango's,quoata's,and impingeing on personal freedoms, from I.D cards and D.N.A on innocent people to survellance on your bins! ESPECIALY, if it means they can have more jobs for the boys,and it enables them to extract more revenue!
I agree at the present time something like this nonsense would be very hard to implement,but considering the stakes an e-mail is a very good investment in our[and our childrens] future. Thanks Nos for flagging it up.I will be snding mine today.

[SDGANDER]

As an ex-fisheries protection officer I can assure you that anglers are checked, albeit not as often as commercial fishermen and are prosecuted.

The SFDCs vary in their presence depending on where you are in the country.

SDG

[PeterM]

Joke suggestion - there is no way that anyone could possibly check boats in/ around the Solent on a practical level . Its carnage out there on a busy summers day !

The police cant even maintain a presence that stops accidents/ thefts etc - so I feel that someone fishing will be swiftly ignored for fear of generating days of pointless paperwork - all for the sake of 5 mackeral !

[SDGANDER]

Actually a competent boarding team can easily board and check 4 or 5 vessels an hour - probably more angling boats as there are no nets or gear to check/inspect.

A formal recorded verbal warning for a minor 'offence' only takes an extra 5 minutes maximum. Repeat offenders or more serious offences would involve seizing evidence and probably taking witness statements and interviewing the offender - dependent on the offence that can take a couple of hours.

The outcome isn't decided by the officers of the SFDC but it's elected committee and will either result in a formal Home Office Caution or prosecution - a successful court case will leave the offender with a criminal record.

Remember MAFA and the navy are also already involved in fisheries protection.

And yes I have been involved in the successful prosecution of an angler.

W.