Intend to fish from your boat- EVER in your life? You NEED to read this!

Nos4r2 · 18 January 2009, 15:49

It's a link to another forum, but we ALL need to do something about this. NOW.
EU article 47.
http://www.worldseafishing.com/forum...d.php?t=154951

Poly · 18 January 2009, 23:05

If you need to find the email address of your MEPs (you will have several) you will find it here:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/member...GB&language=EN

this is probably least fair and most hassle for the occasional angler than the regular sports fisherman. The occasional angler has least impact on stocks/quotas but would fact the same level of license/beaurocracy as the guy who is out every weekend.

BruceB · 18 January 2009, 23:35

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

Nos4r2 · 18 January 2009, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

It's the EU. They'll still try.

Poly · 19 January 2009, 09:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

This has been talked about before and has been laughed out of the building as completely unpoliceable.
Who exactly is going to Police it and ask for a licence?
We see a fishery protection boat once every few months, the CG almost never despite several being based in Oban and there is a shortage of Police in the area.
I can't really believe that anybody would
1. waste time trying to catch recreational fishermen
2. Waste time trying to prosecute
3. Be interested anyway as being practicable to police in the first place.
4. Try to justify catching small boys fishing off the pier is better than catching druggies and thieves

You'll have a wildlife police officer somewhere in the Oban area - and it will be a lot easier for him to catch someone fishing off the pier than someone baiting badgers, stealing osprey eggs or shooting birds of prey - presumably he has targets to meet to justify his job too!

Even if it is never enforced that doesn't make it OK. Once in a while someone will get stung with a big fine or confiscation of kit etc. It will particularly penalise the guy who only fishes once a year when on holiday (boosting the tourist ecconomy); rather than the guys who are out every weekend who will quickly work out how to work the system!

Steve Hackett · 19 January 2009, 09:42

We've already got all that nonsense here, 10kg bag limit, different licences for boat and shore fishing and for different areas.
I've had 1 for 2 years and have never been asked to produce it, they just have a blitz on it occasionally.

Maximus · 19 January 2009, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

It's the EU. They'll still try.

I was in Texas a few years ago on a fishing holiday,believe me it is possible to bring in this type of Draconian legislation.We had to first buy a state Licence and then fill in each fish of certain species we caught,along with the length, wieght ect.You then had to mark your licence accordingly yourself,and if checked[we were checked once during our stay] and anything was amiss you were for the high jump! a fact the local oil men we were staying with,made abundantly clear.
One thing to bear in mind is this governments track record of legislation overkill [more statutes in the last ten years than in the previous 100!!] and thier love of control, quango's,quoata's,and impingeing on personal freedoms, from I.D cards and D.N.A on innocent people to survellance on your bins! ESPECIALY, if it means they can have more jobs for the boys,and it enables them to extract more revenue!
I agree at the present time something like this nonsense would be very hard to implement,but considering the stakes an e-mail is a very good investment in our[and our childrens] future. Thanks Nos for flagging it up.I will be snding mine today.

SDGANDER · 19 January 2009, 13:14

As an ex-fisheries protection officer I can assure you that anglers are checked, albeit not as often as commercial fishermen and are prosecuted.

The SFDCs vary in their presence depending on where you are in the country.

SDG

PeterM · 19 January 2009, 14:48

Joke suggestion - there is no way that anyone could possibly check boats in/ around the Solent on a practical level . Its carnage out there on a busy summers day !

The police cant even maintain a presence that stops accidents/ thefts etc - so I feel that someone fishing will be swiftly ignored for fear of generating days of pointless paperwork - all for the sake of 5 mackeral !

SDGANDER · 19 January 2009, 18:47

Actually a competent boarding team can easily board and check 4 or 5 vessels an hour - probably more angling boats as there are no nets or gear to check/inspect.

A formal recorded verbal warning for a minor 'offence' only takes an extra 5 minutes maximum. Repeat offenders or more serious offences would involve seizing evidence and probably taking witness statements and interviewing the offender - dependent on the offence that can take a couple of hours.

The outcome isn't decided by the officers of the SFDC but it's elected committee and will either result in a formal Home Office Caution or prosecution - a successful court case will leave the offender with a criminal record.

Remember MAFA and the navy are also already involved in fisheries protection.

And yes I have been involved in the successful prosecution of an angler.

W.

BruceB · 19 January 2009, 21:45

I still don't think this will ever happen and if it does nobody will take any notice as its not enforcable.
Still, how fast does a FP boat go? I can certainly outrun the CG. If it came to it I reckon just running for it is the answer

I could say the VHF was switched off and leave them behind at a rate of knots, its not as if they will start shooting and the water cannon is only short range............

SDGANDER · 19 January 2009, 22:31

Personally I don't think it'll happen either...

Patrol vessel was around (

) 30 kts and our boarding RIB could achieve well over 40 kts without struggling! The jet RIB was a bit slower - around 30 kts with a clean bum.

No water cannon and unarmed - despite what some people would have you believe (except the naval vessels of course).

Also the offence of obstruction - eg running away carries far higher penalties than the fisheries offence!

SDG

Nos4r2 · 20 January 2009, 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Joke suggestion - there is no way that anyone could possibly check boats in/ around the Solent on a practical level . Its carnage out there on a busy summers day !

The police cant even maintain a presence that stops accidents/ thefts etc - so I feel that someone fishing will be swiftly ignored for fear of generating days of pointless paperwork - all for the sake of 5 mackeral !

They don't need to. They just need to hang around marinas and slipways.

Besides, finding a boat that's fishing is easy if they want to do it.

m chappelow · 23 January 2009, 10:29

we have been stopped out at sea twice whilst out in a small 17 ft hard boat ,both times whilst anchored up ,on the last occasion it was a farce as we had only just stopped and dropped the hooks in when a grey r.i.b. comes alongside and the officer askes if we had any caught any fish and he wanted to come on board to have a look as he has the authority blah, blah,blah , yes no problem we said .going on the fact the sea was very lumpy and that both boats were leaping about wildly and that getting on board a boat as small as ours with 3 people already in the cockpit would have been a bit silly ,well on the 5th try up he said ok ill take your word for it and they disappear into the distance ,

jyasaki · 29 January 2009, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackroady

Joke suggestion - there is no way that anyone could possibly check boats in/ around the Solent on a practical level .

They don't need to catch everyone; they only need to catch enough that there is a culpable risk of being caught. Once they reach that point, people start not wanting to assume that risk.

jky

prairie tuber · 29 January 2009, 17:19

I've always regarded Brits as being a nation of very level headed folk, but what could you have possibly been thinking in joining the EU lunatics in the first place?

Nos4r2 · 29 January 2009, 18:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

I've always regarded Brits as being a nation of very level headed folk, but what could you have possibly been thinking in joining the EU lunatics in the first place?

We were told it was a 'trade agreement.' It mutated. Successive governments have refused to hold a referendum on anything to do with it-probably because if the British public got their say we'd have left 10 years ago.

http://www.harvard-digital.co.uk/euro/index.html

Poly · 29 January 2009, 19:25

I wrote to all of the Scottish MEP's on this. Most have responded - some more constructively than others. Interestingly one or two have bothered to point out that the European Parliament don't actually decide this sort of thing - it is up to the "council of ministers" when all the nations' fisheries ministers gets together to agree it. So if anyone wishes to voice concern they should write also to their MP (who has possibly some influence on the UK fisheries minister) and also to the minister himself.

BruceB · 29 January 2009, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

We were told it was a 'trade agreement.' It mutated. Successive governments have refused to hold a referendum on anything to do with it-probably because if the British public got their say we'd have left 10 years ago.

There is a lot of truth in this, no government in the last 25-30years has dared a referendum on EU membership because overwhelming I think the UK would vote for major limitations on EU authority within the UK or even possibly full extraction from the Union.
I certainly think the original ideal of a "clearing house" for Europe is a fine idea but don't want full EU integration as a Euro state or anything even remotely close to it.

Nos4r2 · 29 January 2009, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

I wrote to all of the Scottish MEP's on this. Most have responded - some more constructively than others. Interestingly one or two have bothered to point out that the European Parliament don't actually decide this sort of thing - it is up to the "council of ministers" when all the nations' fisheries ministers gets together to agree it. So if anyone wishes to voice concern they should write also to their MP (who has possibly some influence on the UK fisheries minister) and also to the minister himself.

Yep. Might also do some good to write to Richard Benyon-shadow fisheries minister considering he'll be the one to inherit all this mess once Bottler Brown finally has to call an election.