Bait digging /crab collection, What’s going on

[loopy]

To update you all I have just attended the Angling Trusts bait digging conference in London, attended by DEFRA, Natural England and the English Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and many others from the wildlife and conservation community I will try and keep it brief and just for Northumberland. I have been saying for some years regulation is on its way mainly through European directives. We are not badly affected with just one bye law to protect sea grass, proposed by Northumberland IFCA (at the moment) in and around the permitted digging area of Holy Island this will stop bait collection in a small area of that. I along with Alan Charlton am involved in dialogue with Natural England through Northumberland IFCA, to get some compensation, in the form of an extra mud flat to dig in on the North Eastern side of the causeway. Copy of the proposed byelaw http://www.nifca.gov.uk/wp-content/u...07/Number2.pdf
This process is country wide and will affect other counties, some quite hard, this process will continue in the future and will include gathering of crabs within European marine sites and possibly Marine Conservation zones, the IFCAs also have a duty to protect fisheries resources in general and that includes worms and crabs. We only have one MCZ that is likely to happen this year and that is the River Aln estuary, the next possible MCZ to affect us is Coquet to St Mary’s. If you have further question about other parts of the country or the likely impact for the future and the probable rise of bait prices especially crab from Devon pleas PM me.
European marine sites are complex and are made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)mainly Marine environments and Special areas of Conservation (SPA) mainly land based for birds in general our EMS runs from Alnmouth to the Scottish border and beyond, all under European law
Marine Conservation Zone will be created under English law, the Marine and Coastal Access Act (MACAA) bought in by the last government, not to mention SSSI and RAMSAR sites of which we have a few in Northumberland.
Can I just finish, it is very worrying that the number of meetings I attend are very well supported by wildlife and conservation groups who are well funded and organized. It comes as no surprise that regulation goes ahead because no one from our sector consults.

[fish fingers]

do,nt really understand much about politics etc but we are just loosing everything and no matter how much we try they will still get what they want we will all be walking round with meters monitoring how much air we breath ,mcz,s and all the baits bans will go ahead regardless money talks and bull**** walks

[loopy]

I don't agree no one of should bend over and take a shafting from government or
the departments they set up. We have a say, many men fought for that right, we are voters and taxpayers, council tax payers, remember IFCAs are made up of councillors along with people like myself from the community and we vote for them on a local level, they are funded mainly through your council tax perhaps more of us should vote and we would not have hung coalition governments and councils. This Sea Angler Article gives a good run down of the situation.

http://www.rsa-uk.org/rsafiles/Seangler.pdf

[davidhayley1945]

I don't agree no one of should bend over and take a shafting from government or
the departments they set up. We have a say, many men fought for that right, we are voters and taxpayers, council tax payers, remember IFCAs are made up of councillors along with people like myself from the community and we vote for them on a local level, they are funded mainly through your council tax perhaps more of us should vote and we would not have hung coalition governments and councils. This Sea Angler Article gives a good run down of the situation.
http://www.rsa-uk.org/rsafiles/Seangler.pdf

we fought hard for budle bay even had lawyers and barrister,but still shafted.now they want to take the small area they allocated us at holy island, wont make any difference how many people protest it will still go ahead. davy.

[fish fingers]

we fought hard for budle bay even had lawyers and barrister,but still shafted.now they want to take the small area they allocated us at holy island, wont make any difference how many people protest it will still go ahead. davy.

just as i said david, here! here! well said

[redtop69]

Who does the land actually belong too though! I dug at budle and got told to move onto holy island that was last year!!

[davidhayley1945]

Who does the land actually belong too though! I dug at budle and got told to move onto holy island that was last year!!

been a no go area for a good few years you were lucky you were not prosecuted as other lads have,english nature had us moved to a small area at holy island which is now under threat. davy.

[redtop69]

Yeah he did say, at the time i didnt know u wernt allowed to bait dig, it seems at the presemnt theres not a lot of places left to gather bait, i suppose on the other hand it could be for preservation!

[davidhayley1945]

Yeah he did say, at the time i didnt know u wernt allowed to bait dig, it seems at the presemnt theres not a lot of places left to gather bait, i suppose on the other hand it could be for preservation!

theres going to be a lot less in the future,english nature manage it at the present . bl..dy stupid e/c laws make you sick. davy.

[redtop69]

Well its very unfair for those that use it pleasure wise and for those that try and make a living itl be even worse but most people will prob hav to spend more money on bait or travel further afeid to collect it!

[davidhayley1945]

Well its very unfair for those that use it pleasure wise and for those that try and make a living itl be even worse but most people will prob hav to spend more money on bait or travel further afeid to collect it!

page 61 todays sunday sun byelaw from i.f.c.a.prohibiting any person digging or taking any resources where seagrassis situatedin the Berwickshire north Northumberland coast special area of conservation. davy.

[redtop69]

Il haveto get a copy of the paper then its our fishing agm so might prove usefull to the other lads involved too! Many thanks for the heafs up!

[Stores]

Well its very unfair for those that use it pleasure wise and for those that try and make a living itl be even worse but most people will prob hav to spend more money on bait or travel further afeid to collect it!

Just to disect your comment Patrick:

The EU doesn't recognise a connection between angling and pleasure. To them the purpose of angling is to catch your tea. The idea of catch and return is an alien concept.

Those that collect worm for either pleasure fishing or as a living will, indeed, have to travel further afield except what our IFCA has done is being done by all the other IFCAs around the country so every worm bed left available in the country will be under more pressure.

Yes, if there's fewer worm available you'll have to buy more ---if there's fewer available country wide what'll happen to the price? Not rocket science.

Can I ask all NESA members two things? Firstly read the thread in the shore section called RSA; A Survey of the District A Strategy for 2013 - 2014 which explains the seagrass and other issues. Secondly, rather than admit defeat to those who want OUR coastline for themselves (the divers, bird watchers etc) listen to Loopy and badger your councillors and MPs. As a group sea anglers are more numerous than all the anti's put together but sat on your arse moaning at your laptop counts for nothing. It's lugworm at the minute - mark my words it won't be long before it's crab you can't take.

[redtop69]

Thats true il read the post before the days out and make comment afterwards, i think its down to the government making everything that can make money making it unavailable to us unless at a cost, should we not try and start a lugworm farm and provide to people what their after perhaps?!