Sea Anglers’ Conservation Network News ReleaseThe Government’s White paper that will lead to the first ever Marine Bill for the UK will take place in London on the 15th March.
The white paper will contain many proposals that will directly and indirectly affect Recreational Sea Anglers in England and Wales.
Within the Marine Bill, the Government is expected to be granted powers to:
- Establish Marine Protected Areas (where angling may be restricted or banned altogether)
- Introduce a system of charging anglers (and inshore commercial fishermen) towards the management of inshore waters.
- Introduce bag limits for anglers and unlicensed fishermen (in addition to those that can be applied under existing powers by Sea Fisheries Committees)
- To transform Sea Fisheries Committees, perhaps renaming them to reflect their new powers and responsibilities towards the protection of the inshore marine environment.
As well as other powers that will be needed to develop benefits for the Recreational Sea Angling Sector, and to manage and regulate the activities and use of marine resources by many other stakeholder interests including marine spatial planning, dredging, wind farms, sailing and many others in a more co-ordinated way than at present.
SACN have been invited to, and will be attending the London Launch.
An online version of the White Paper will be available from 15th March on the Marine Bill pages of the Defra website:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/marine/uk/policy/marine-bill/index.htm
Hard copies of the White Paper will be available after 10am on the day of publication from The Stationery Office priced £32.50 (ISBN 978-0-10-170472-4).
To purchase a copy, go to:
· http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/;
· TSO’s Bookshops in London, Belfast or Edinburgh;
· e-mail bookorders@tso.co.uk or
· phone 44 (0) 870 600 5522.
Hearing and speech impaired customers can also communicate via text telephone on 44 (0)870 240 3701.