Rod Licence proposals

[Sam]

Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of more than 30 voluntary organisations concerned with the conservation and protection of wildlife and the countryside, this week issued a statement with some proposals for spending decisions related to environmental and countryside spending in light of the current review of budgets. It contained a large number of proposals, which included the following:

?Fisheries - all Environment Agency work on managing freshwater fisheries and fishing licences should be covered by fishing licence fees - ?9.4 million saving4. All IFCA and MMO work on the management of sea fisheries could be funded by industry. In addition, a licence could be imposed upon the sea angling community similar to that of freshwater angling.?

The Angling Trust is not a member of Wildlife and Countryside Link, but has a partnership agreement to collaborate on the Blueprint for Water. The Trust was neither aware of, nor consulted with on these proposals.

The Trust disagrees wholeheartedly with these proposals in respect of angling and is furious that WCL did not consult the National Governing Body for angling before issuing the proposals.

Freshwater anglers contributed ?26 million in rod licences to the work of the Environment Agency?s fisheries department in 2009, a figure which has risen consistently in recent years. Anglers also invest hundreds of millions of pounds each year improving and maintaining rivers in the UK. The Government grant in aid for fisheries has been frozen at ?9.4 million for the last decade ? effectively a cut in real terms each year. The Angling Trust demands that this grant is maintained because fisheries are important to society as a whole and not just to anglers.

The Angling Trust is strongly opposed to a licence for sea anglers and holds firmly the position that fishing with rod and line in the sea should be a free right for people of all ages under current circumstances. The notion of charging sea anglers for access to public fishery resources whilst access for commercial over-exploitation of those same resources is free of charge, and heavily-subsidised, is perverse. Sea anglers have endured decades of failed fisheries management and commercial overfishing that have thoroughly degraded the sea angling product, so the idea of now charging them is like adding salt to an already raw wound.

If overfishing is brought to an end, depleted stocks restored, those who fish commercially are paying realistically for access to fish stocks and anglers are playing a full role in the process of formulating fisheries policy, then and only then will sea anglers be prepared even to discuss the merits of a licence.

source; http://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?section=29&sectionTitle=Angling%20Trust%20Latest%20News&itemid=585

[skiny]

it keeps rearing its ugly head this topic,as long as the foreign trawlers keep rapeing our shores i for one wont put my hand in my pocket to keep them in there jobs.will the average joe gain anything from putting money into it ,i dont think so ,so im not gona subscribe to it.

[Brially]

The Costs Of Policing Our Coast Would Cost More Than The Money Than The,,Sea Angling
Licence Would Bring In...Think About It,,, One Head Office ,, 100 Regenal Offices,,.
Officers On Duty,, Day,, And Night,,.  Each Area Will Need A ,,4by4,, And A Boat,,
I Could Go On,And On.  But Think About The Cost Any Angler Pays To Fish,, Then Add On
A Licence Fee.  As An,R,S,A, I Would Have To Think About That.. But Think About This.
Here In Humberside, We Have A Lot Of Eastern Europeans,, .. Fishing The Coast,, Rivers,
Taking All Fish They Catch. For Some Unknown Reason They Are Not Stopped,,,,,,,,,,
Because Of There Human Rights,,, They Carnt Be Policed   Its The Way They Were Brought Up
Just Hope It Comes Out Ok,,,,
  Sorry My First Post Was Not,Or,Members Would Like,, A Fishing Report,, That Will Come On Monday                                  ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BRI,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Sam]

Agree with both of yas

[Jer]

I couldn't possibly type another word on the subject 

[guest14]

The only people who will benefit from this is the treasury....its just another Tax,the government is currently slashing public spending,ie policing,local council budgets etc,you can guarantee they will be looking at all ways to increase there income by whatever means

[skiny]

I couldn't possibly type another word on the subject 

:laugh20: :laugh20: :laugh20:pmsl,just copy n paste um mate ,NAW PLEASE DONT.if i have to pay it i will but wont want to pay it for it will be used for the wrong resons  i think.

[Sam]

Interesting article i've just came across,just shows roughly how much sea anglers already contribute to the economy ;

Traditionally, sea anglers have (rightly so) benefitted from free fishing along Britain?s coastline - we?re free to fish, catch and eat (as long as the fish meet the minimum regulation size) from any public shore. Unfortunately this won?t be the case if the Marine Bill White Paper has anything to do with it. The White Paper has proposed the possiblity of introducing rod licences for sea anglers, meaning that anybody who wants to fish from the shore will have to purchase one of these licences before doing so. Estimates are sketchy as to the amount of sea anglers there are out there, some reports state 20,000 whilst others a whopping 1,000,000. Even if you go somewhere in the middle, the amount of Government revenue that would be raised by a licence would be quite significant.

Those acquainted with coarse fishing will already be accustomed to the necessary evil of purchasing rod licences from the Environment Agency. At least coarse fishing licences can be justified - the EA do a great job at preserving the UK?s riverways, banks, canals and even looking after fish stocks. Just how a the license of sea anglers would benefit fish stocks and the maintenance of Britain?s shores remains to be seen. What detrimental effect do sea anglers really pose to the coastline? As a guess, when compared to the commercial overfishing which has been prevelant in the North Sea for example, UK sea anglers probably represent less than 0.0001% of any decline in fish stocks. This is just a simplified number, but I believe that the Government should tackle these commercial fishing issues before introducing yet another regressive tax.

It has been commented that UK sea anglers contribute up to half a billion pounds to the economy per annum - you know where it goes, tackle, bait etc? Surely this contribution is enough to the economy than an unnecessary sea fishing licence.

[MRTT]

A licence would only put more restrictions on angling and know way do i want that

[eddie t]

If this licence thing comes off its going to cost me a arm and a leg there's 4 of us fish in my family.

[john robson]

as far as a fishing license for sea angling they can go and kiss my arse.

[eddie t]

as far as a fishing license for sea angling they can go and kiss my arse.

Very well said mate.

[smartmp]

as far as a fishing license for sea angling they can go and kiss my arse.

Very well said mate.

Agreed.....It would probably cost more to police than the income from the license.

[Brially]

as far as a fishing license for sea angling they can go and kiss my arse.

Very well said mate.

Agreed.....It would probably cost more to police than the income from the license.
I Agree,,,,,,,, To Police Our Shores 4,000 milesWould Cost More Than The Lience Fees Would Bring In,,                      ,,,,,BRI,,,,,

[guest14]

Got a sneeking suspicion that this will come in and they will be capable of enforcing it by way of the income that will be generated,to justify it they will have to put some sort of a reduction on quantitys commercial boats catch surely