Strategy Unit Report

[LeonRoskilly]

The Prime Minister\'s Strategy Unit publishes the result of its consulatations on fishing at 10 am today (25 Mar 03).

This document could have many implications for the future development of Recreational Sea Angling.

Keep up to date with the breaking news on the SACN site at

http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/latest/index.php?view=70

Tight Lines - leon

[Ell]

cheers Leon

[Chris_Hughes]

Lets hope this works and sea anglers are going to get some recognition and a stake in fisheries management. But somehow I cant see the voluntary licensing working. Whoever thought of that one didn\'t put his brain in gear that day. I know, lets have voluntary road fund licenses, MOTs, parking and speeding fines, council tax, income tax etc. Lets face it, the proposed £10 license fee isn\'t going to brake the bank and I would expect concessions for children, pensioners and day/week licenses, but lets make the license compulsory.

[TC]

I realise that this\'ll bring out all those who quote (well nearly) the Magna Carta and say that licencing \"can\'t work, won\'\'t work\" for sea angling and that it\'ll only be ANOTHER source of revenue for the Govt...... BUT, I agree with Chris - if the ONLY way we can regulate what is taken from our shores includes a licencing mechanism for sea angling, then it has my support.
It\'s all very well laying the blame at the trawlermens door for the diminishing fish stocks, and many will say that what is taken in \"recreational angling\" is minimal to that taken by the commercial side - statistically that may be so, BUT morally we ALL have an obligation to help conserve fish stocks.

[mark]

perhaps the licencing scheme may be global. As it stands you buy a licence presently to fish freshwater. Why can\'t we just have the same licence, but the licence covering both sea and fresh. That way those that already fish freshwater are already licenced and can\'t complain. Those that fish sal****er will have to buy one. At the end of the day its only 20 quid, which in my opinion is a very small price to pay - 50p a week or so.

If the current freshwater licences are adopted for sal****er anglers, it will be whole lot less beaurocracy to set it up so the beaurocratic costs will obviously be greatly reduced and any money that does come in go to the front line.

Because of the seasonality of freshwater angling, what do the baliffs do in close season??? they are obviously still paid a wage, so make em work for it - get em down the pier!