edible peeler crab

[Guest]

Can anyone clarify if it is illegal to use edible peeler crab as fishing bait

[sless]

yes its illegal
seemingly you get fined thousands
im not saying weather i use it tho

[BriH]

So is Drinking after time but you need to get Caught first - if youve got some ,then mix it with mussel - thats what i will be doing.

[Ell]

sensible advice chaps, Tony must be a kip (or dead)!!! In no way can NESA condone illegal stuff of any description.

[mark]

you could try paint em green before you go out!

I\'m probably wrong here (as per) but is it not a regional thing?? Edible peelers being ok in certain areas but not others??

maybe I just dreamt it.

If it is Verboten does any one know the reason?? cos they are underrsize for taking as an edible perhaps??

[bribones]

ive often wonderd why myself ,if i buy a crab its mine and if i wanna stuff it inside a squid i cant see why i cant
undersized would get chucked back anyway but if i caught it legal like why cant you use it as you see fit
after all a crabs a crab ,fish dont know the difference

[Ell]

[Edited on 13/10/2004 by Ell]

[TC]

Ell.......you\'re both wrong and right in the same post.........lol

\"Tony must be a kip (or dead)!!!.....\" Wrong.......just workin\'

\"In no way can NESA condone illegal stuff of any description....\" Dead Right.

I\'m sure Mark\'s right about it being a regional thing.
You CAN use them as bait in some areas, but you CAN\'T use them in others.

Alan Charlton is the man who knows the score on the use of edible crabs as bait...........over to you Alan...........

[Stores]

I believe you can use them in Scotland...

[Gwyn]

There has been many discussions regarding the use of edible crabs for fishing. It is illegal to use edible crab between the Humber and the start of Scotland, I does not matter if you collect them yourself or you buy them from another area. If you get caught with them on your possesion you will be prosecuted.
A guy from the Scarborough area was caught and prosecuted I think his fine was about £500

Gwyn

[Edited on 14/10/2004 by Gwyn]

[blackvelvet]

the fisheries have been out and about this year, with their wee camera and binoc\'s......saw one pull a guy over and check his bucket, but he had been doing pots....still if he had undersize eating crabs, would still be in trouble...naughty.naughty boys.
Heather

[IanW]

This was discussed a while back on the board, but it musn\'t have been transferred over. I tried searching for it but it can\'t be found.

If I remember right Chris Hughes had managed to find a lot of information on this subject.

[Chris_Hughes]

OK this is how it goes :-

The rules of fishing are governed by byelaws set out by your local fisheries committee. These apply regardless of the method you are using to catch fish, that is, they apply to the biggest factory ship / ocean going trawlers and the local kid using his or her \"Scooby Do\" kids rod off the end of the pier with grandad looking on.

Up here in the North of England the fisheries Committees are as follows :-

North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee http://www.neseafish.gov.uk/

Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee http://www.nsfc.org.uk/230503/Index2.htm

North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee http://www.nwnwsfc.org/

Cumbria Sea Fisheries Committee - No web site

These organisations publish their byelaws and where they have a web site they are usually available online.

Now the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee and Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee have seen fit to prohibit the use of any part of an edible crab (except for offal - that\'s lungs and guts) for bait within their areas.

On the other hand, North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee and Cumbria Sea Fisheries Committee (from memory as I don\'t have their byelaws in front of me) allow the use of edible crab for bait, but they must still meet the size limit for the species.

The penalties for the infringement of the byelaws can be very expensive. From memory, I think it up to £5000 per offence

The bottom line on this is that we have a scenario where the rules are inconsistent through out the land and in my opinion unreasonable where rod and line shore fishing is concerned. But the rules are the rules and the only way that these may change for the rod and line fisherman is through greater representation in the bodies who make the rules, sea fishing rod licensing may give us that, if they ever get introduced. In the meantime, if you feel strongly about the use of edible crab for bait, try writing to you local councilor who should channel the correspondence to the councilors who sit on the panel of the fisheries committee, that way the byelaws could be amended to accommodate the leisure fisherman. Remember that these bodies are public bodies financed by the tax payer, they are accountable to the public and by public pressure can be manipulated to deliver what the public want. The caveat here, is that you may have to hold your breath for a while, while you knock on the doors of bureaucracy.

[cod-basher]

thankx for your web links and info on this subject (chris hughes)