Announcement

**fishfinder** · 31-10-2005, 09:39 PM

I think terry woods hit on a few of them points jim and I have to agree nigel that to gain the confidence of the north east fisherman the nfsa needs to be seen to be doing major things !!!I know you lot are not miracle workers but once they have the confidence of the local anglers they will get there full support !!! As for membership i was a little concerned when terry touched upon the fact his club where members of the nfsa and the only info they got of them was your subs are due..Any info or feed back on anglers regaining access to the piers south of the tyne ???

**Doc** · 01-11-2005, 12:19 AM

At the risk of alienating almost all anglers in the north of the UK, and placing the noose around my neck, I\'ll try and deal with the rod licence issue and others raised as best as I can. What I will say is that my response to Jim and Paul’s comments are purely on a constructive vein, they are not having a go at anyone or any group of anglers or clubs. However, as the response could go into pages and you’d all fall asleep before reading it all I’ve split it into different topics, just to keep the themes running.

Sea Angling Rod Licences

Without doubt its a very contentious issue, its one that has anglers of all different skill levels, experienced or inexperienced and boat and shore angler alike, giving their opinion on what will or won\'t happen, how much it will cost and how it will lead to the death of sea angling.

The first point to consider is; from where did the rod licence issue arise?

It originally came from the Bradley report, a government review of the marine environment and enforcement in UK fisheries. Within this report, recommendations on the future of recreational angling included;

The provision of fishing platforms for angling

The creation of artificial reef or habitats for angling

Introduction of a sea angling rod licence

These are just a few of the pearls of wisdom that emanate from the report, some may be viable in certain situations, some quite obviously not!!!

So to make it plain, it wasn\'t, as I\'ve heard on a few occasions, the NFSA who proposed the rod licence, in an attempt to score points with government.

The cost of a proposed sea angling licence has been mooted at £22, the same as a freshwater licence (correct me if I\'m wrong) or £8 a week for the holiday maker who fishes just on holiday once a year. Not a huge amount, but yet another tax on our sport, which lets face it, is becoming increasingly more expensive, and increasingly more difficult to catch a fish, any fish, never mind a decent fish.

OK so I hear you all shouting \"so why does the NFSA support a rod licence\"? Well the simple answer to that is that the NFSA doesn\'t as yet support the broadscale introduction of sea angling rod licences.

The position is clear, until the UK government supports RSA in real terms, not just through promises, but with real action, until the sea angling experience improves, with bigger and better fish, access restrictions and loss of venues are stopped, until gill nets around our shores and offshore wrecks are either removed totally or reduced to proportionate levels and trawling right up to the beach is stopped, the sea angling rod licence will not be supported by the NFSA.

You ask the question Jim “Is it true they are after a sea fishing licence”, who do you mean by they? As stated, a rod licence for sea anglers would be just that, shore and boat anglers would be included, in fact anyone who fishes in waters other than freshwater, so yes it would include estuaries. There is no set timetable for this, however, it may become part of the Marine Bill which could be introduced in 2007, although again it may take a few years further to implement or sort out the fine detail. The marine bill will also have a significant affect on how our fisheries are managed, it is possible that the SFC’s may be replaced with another inshore agency to manage and regulate our fisheries, in conjunction with the new marine agency (formerly the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate (SFI)). Certainly, it has been suggested that some of the moneys derived from the sea angling rod licence would be used to improve enforcement in inshore marine fisheries, but I for one would not be happy paying money for a rod licence only to see it disappear into the local SFC’s coffers.

We still don’t know when or how a rod licence will be implemented, I think it’s a safe bet that at some point in the future it will be, however, the NFSA will fight tooth and nail to prevent a broadscale implementation without clear benefits realised prior to its implementation and guarantees protecting RSA post implementation.

**willywetegg** · 01-11-2005, 01:00 AM

Excellent informative answer as always Nigel mate thank\'s very much for your time.
The \"they\" that I was asking about was the N.E. branch of the NFSA. The story was going around that they were actually supporting the idea of a sea fishing license.
That is one of the reasons that I did not want to get into this as I did not know if it was rumour or fact. If it was fact and they were pushing for it now without any help from the government and or powers that be, I would rather give all of my gear away and never fish again than pay one penny to something that would be an insult to every fisherman and woman in the country.
If things were to change and we found that the powers that be up here in the N.E. were listening then that would be a whole different thing.
If what Paul (fishfinder) informed us in this post about Terry Woods statement concerning contact from the NFSA to his club ONLY when subscriptions were due is correct, then that is a rather frightening thought that we should be paying even a penny to an organisation that does not give a damn about an area that is VERY passionate about it\'s fishing.
As I say that is a big if and if anyone from either side would care to join in on this thread then I, and I would imagine quite a few other people on NESA would be very greatfull.
I think that our sport really does need all of the help that it can get at the moment but I have to know that the people that are representing us are representing the NE area too and not just certain regions.
As I have already said thank you VERY much for your reply on not just this post but all of the posts that you have helped in the past and no doubt the very many in the future Doc.

Jim.

**willywetegg** · 01-11-2005, 03:24 AM

Just read your post again Nigel and realised we are not on the same wave length mate.

I am not trying to say that it was the NFSA that proposed the rod licence but they are allegedly a very big supporter of the idea of a rod license, especially the NE branch of the NFSA.

As I have said it would be great to hear from the NFSA on this to tell everyone that it is not true, as I know how many stories can be twisted and turned.

Jim.

**fishfinder** · 01-11-2005, 04:42 AM

Cheers for the quick response nigel I know your a busy man and may I also add that I am not trying to put people off joining the nfsa ... As I think given the funding and the man power the nfsa will make the government stand up and take notice !!! I merely need some kind of assurance that if I were to become a member my money would be used to enhance the fishing in the north east some thing Im sure every angler would be wondering before pledging x amount of pounds ... I also agree with jim on the whole rod licence issue it would create a major head ache and a drain on resources if it were implemented and most the people I fish with would certainly not adhere to it !!
mny thanks jim for posting in here it would be nice to hear the views of other members as I know how passionate NESA members are about the sport they love so much ... remember posts like http://www.nesa.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=XForum&file=viewthread &tid=3675#pid20572

[Edited on 1/11/2005 by fishfinder]

**Doc** · 02-11-2005, 09:05 PM

Jim, we are on the same wave length I assure you.

The NE branch of the NFSA may well have their own ideas, as they are entitled to do so, however, the dialogue that the government has over such issues is with the NFSA head office, primarily through the Conservation group. We have a clear view on this particular issue, that is, that until such time that the fishing experience improves significantly, we cannot endorse a sea angling rod licence (as per my response). That is not to say we would not even discuss the issue, but there is a big difference between discussing it and giving the green light. The NFSA has to be responsive to its members and to the angling public as a whole, if the masses agree to the licence then so be it, if not then we\'ll fight that corner as well.

However, the NE division of the NFSA cannot make unilateral decisions and should not be dealing direct with the Government wrt a sea angling rod licence (which I know they are not).

Sea angling is no longer just the past time of the working class, as a consequence we have the full range of society represented within our sport, as a result you will always get diverse opinion, and there will be those who favour a licence NOW, and those who would wish to wait and see the benefits before they subscribe, there also those who will never subscribe, no matter what, or how ever much our sport improves. These are the problems the NFSA as our national body face, you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can\'t.............

One of the problems is, and it is extremely likely that a member or a couple of members of the NE division may have said that they would be willing to pay a sea angling licence, this has been taken by others as representative of the Divisions stance. I could name a host of top anglers (well known at least) who are willing to pay for a rod licence, equally I know a number who won\'t just yet. I regularly hear anglers saying they will leave the sport and take up freshwater fishing, which is a bit strange, as they will still have to pay a rod licence, however, a commonly used phrase is \"what about the Magna Carta\"? Well if I remember right, over the last 7 or 8 years this one has been done to death on NESA, and I\'m not about to bring it up again, however.......

The Magna Carta (in my own opinion) is out of date, obsolete and no longer representative of the modern day society, we are no longer hunter gatherers, although looking at some you wouldn\'t think so.

As a response to both yours and Paul’s points, The only people who could implement the sea angling rod licence would be the government (through DEFRA I would assume). I’m certain it would go out to consultation, in which case every man, cat and dog would have an opportunity to make his and her views clear, be they for or against. If you are totally against the rod licence, then I would be very keen to listen to the argument, purely and simply because its an argument that will have to be aired at some time, why not discuss it now.

On a final note, I did have an opportunity to speak to Terry on the night, although for not as long as I would have liked. However and I’m surmising here, the possible reason for the lack of correspondence or feedback may be due to the way that the affiliated club membership worked. For example, a club may have been affiliated to the NFSA costing just a few pounds (£10), this covered the three principal officers of the club and a single journal and or newsletter would have been sent each quarter. Under the old scheme the club paid a certain amount (£2.50) per club member and the secretary got one lot of information. However, if you can appreciate, the cost of sending out 4 glossy journals per year, letters, newsletters, all the postage and time to ensure that each and every club receives what it is due, add to that the cost of member insurance (up to £2m). The cost vastly outweighs what is being received, it does not make good economic sense to charge £10 lets say for membership and spend £25 sending out reams of information. Most other national representative bodies charge a hell of a lot more and then charge extra for subscription to journals etc.

I guess it boils down to the fact that you get the level of representation your willing to pay for.

**willywetegg** · 03-11-2005, 01:24 AM

Thank\'s again Nigel for an excellent answer. As I have just finished work I am knackered lol.

I will have a look through your post again when I get up and reply properly but I must say now that I am definately NOT totally against the rod licence. I am very open minded about it but lol.

Later, thank\'s again mate.

Jim.

**willywetegg** · 03-11-2005, 05:38 PM

I have just read through your post again and feel there is not a lot I can add at the moment as you have answered my questions very well.

I need to do a wee bit of reading now on http://www.nfsa.org.uk I think I probably will become a member now as you have put my mind at rest on quite a few subjects and we really do need someone to represent us.

I will keep in touch Nigel and would like to see other members joining in with any questions or worries they may have no matter what they may be about.

Thank\'s again.

Jim.

[Edited on 3/11/2005 by willywetegg]

**willywetegg** · 03-11-2005, 05:42 PM

In case anyone wonders about the edit I missed the uk off the addy and got the National Fire Sprinkler Association. I know it wouldn\'t have been mentioned much lol.

Jim.

Announcement

Fishing licence.

Fishing licence.

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment