Let’s go fishing
Like it or not, any bass you catch must be returned alive to the sea until the end of June. For those of you who weren’t aware, it’s the price anglers are paying for a raw deal dreamed up by EU Fisheries Ministers.
Hopefully, those in the frame to negotiate on behalf of anglers will ensure recreational anglers get a better outcome next time, rather than all the benefits appearing to go to the powerful commercial fishing lobby.
Believe me, the likes of the Angling Trust and Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society and now the Angling Trades Association will try their best, but I would urge all concerned to take on board the many complaints being raised now by all the aggrieved anglers up and down the country.
We all have one goal – to achieve a better deal for sea anglers than the bad hand we have been dealt for 2016. As I said in this column last month, those involved should stop the blame game and sort it out.
While the settlement gained some welcome discussion time in Parliament due to the efforts of angler-friendly MP, Scott Mann, it’s fair to say he was still the victim of constant interruptions from an MP supporting the inshore commercial fishing fleet. It just shows what we’re up against.
Worryingly, there was no action plan or time frame agreed at the end of the debate. In effect, the issue could disappear until December. So all parties need to do their best to keep our fight on the front foot.
It’s a fair bet that Fisheries Minister, George Eustice MP is looking to move on until the issue presents itself again in Europe. Kicking it into the long grass is not
what anglers want, and is why we should keep alive the issue of RSA rights.
As was stated in our last issue, there may have been poor tactics and a lack of cohesion within the RSA community, but the correct thing to do now is to catch public attention in a positive way.
With the tackle industry joining in the debate, I totally agree with Naidre Werner, chair of the Angling Trades Association, who stated: “We aren’t shouting loudly enough, either as businesses working within the sector, or as individual anglers.”
The Angling Trust, BASS and the European Anglers Alliance are trying to get across the message.
As Naidre says: “It doesn’t matter what your opinion is of these organisations or their teams of people. The fact remains that the Angling Trust is the recognised national governing body for anglers in England and the EAA is the recognised body for anglers in Europe.”
The ATA is urging all sea anglers, businesses involved in sea angling and sympathetic individuals to support the Angling Trust’s campaign by emailing the EU Commissioner, Karmenu Vella, with a short message of support. The email address is karmenu.vella@ec.europa.eu. Please copy David Mitchell, of the Angling Trust, into your email: david.mitchell@ anglingtrust.net.
As always, Sea Angler is keeping you up to date with this big issue, so check out the latest news on page 108.