License Sea Angling

When you read about doz,s of anglers
" armed with lidl rods " taking bags of very small fish smaller than most people would use for bait.
It would appear that the only way to stop this is to LICENSE SEA ANGLING and set management std,s for sea angling no license lock them up.
What do you all think would it work

Unfortunately I think that a sea angling license may be the only way that sea anglers will be recognised as marine stakeholders. Sea anglers are notoriously bad at organising themselves as a coherent lobby group, especially when compared with other anglers (e.g. salmon, trout, pike).

If a sea angling licence would ensure that we are recognised as being entitled to a voice in matters relating to the marine environment, convince anglers that they are entitled to that voice and provide ring-fenced funding that would ultimately benefit angling, then I would be in favour.

There has been murder in the UK for the last 2years over this subject, Why would anybody buy a licence to fish where stocks are steadily reducing due to comercial overfishing, How would it be policed???? and how many people would just plead ignorance?

Why would anybody buy a licence to fish where stocks are steadily reducing

That's exactly why I would buy a license. To give me a clear right to a say in how fish stocks are managed.

The principle is a great idea, but the reality is that it will indeed be impossible to Enforce/Police. More needs to be done on the Commercial side of things i.e. get rid of the foreign trawlers!

The only way things are going to improve is for the government to act and enforce it, the way its enforced in Norway. Everyone has seen the Videos on youtube of guys getting 40lbs Cod there.

The only way to get this point across is for everyone to make a stand not just anglers but everyone. I really hope something happens soon because I hate the stories of how it was about 20-25yrs ago esp. in Belfast Lough.

i agree with immunecfg that in principal, it is a good idea but that in theory it wouldnt work. just take cork for example. theres a fair few miles of fishable coastline that would be impossible to enforce a licence. one mark i was using in the summer for mack and pollack is about 20mins walk from a beach across some dodgy rocks and the whole stretch of rocks there is about 1.5-2 miles long. this is just 1 mark of which in cork alone there are hundreds just like it.

That's a valid point regarding enforcement.

In some ways though, it wouldn't matter if the enforcement wasn't 100%. As long as enough of us bought into the license scheme, then it would be harder for government and agencies to ignore us, as they currently do.

Having a license doesn't mean someone is a responsible angler. (Bit like the driving license in that way!!) but it does give you a seat at the table.

I guess it depends on what purpose you want the license to serve.

and while you're sat at the table there are eu trawlers scooping up fish within casting distance in the backround. and don't for one second think that just because your at the table your voice will be heard, i've done a lot of community work in the north and sat a various consultations that were pure shams. governments, regardless of what country, will make you feel like you have a voice. but don't be fooled into thinking your voice will be heard. a politician once told me that consultations are the governments way of appeasing the masses into fooling them to think that they play a part in decision making, but in reality the decisions are already made. and the cost of policing it would not be economically viable under any circumstance. and besides, even if a licence was introduced. the good upstanding anglers who would buy it are not the ones acting the egits killing masses of fish. PHEW ! ! ! ! rant over, sorry about that lads.

ive been an angler most of my life, being introduced to it by my salmon obcessed father at an early age,over the years as an game angler ive watched the introduction of the salmon/seatrout licence,then the rise and rise of the cost of said licence,ive also watched the distruction of the salmon/seatrout fisheries with help from our government,salmon seatrout farm licences given to operators allowing them to set up in esturerys with salmon/seatrout rivers, and the following distruction of these fisheries by sealice! The government refusing to accept the advice of sientiests about sea lice, the length of time it took to stop draft netting in the mouth of these esturerys,even as the stocks collapsed,etc .Now im all for a sea licence if i felt that there was any chance that we would have a voice,or that fish stocks would be protected,or that those idiots that leave small dead fish on the piers would fined, but given our governments track record, im afraid that i cannot be part of a licence system untill i get assurances that there will be a certified protection system in place BEFORE the licence fee is introduced!

I hold a salmon/sea-trout license every year.

Doesn't make a blind bit of difference. Poachers are still there every week. Draft netters are allowed extra time this year.

WHY??????????????

The solution the government introduced this year was to close down the rivers that we're low on salmon. Yet give extra time to the draft netters in the estuaries.

Now you tell me???????????

Why would anybody buy a licence to fish where stocks are steadily reducing

That's exactly why I would buy a license. To give me a clear right to a say in how fish stocks are managed.

Fair Enough but I would not like to pay the government for a licence so I MIGHT have a say. It would make more sense to create a Min size limit for all fish.

guys, the introduction of a sea licence would only benefit the government by putting more cash in their coffers. i'm sorry to say this, but i think it would only be wishful thinking on our part to think that it would benefit us anglers in any way, shape or form. no matter how the government would try to sugarcoat it. at the end of the day the government are only interested in maximizing revenue regardless of the enviromental impact it would have on our seas. just look at the salmon/ trout fiasco we are currently faceing

I don't think a license would make any difference to the lads using the lidl rods,I am sure they would not care if their rods were confiscated
who would Enforce the license
I have fished for years and never have been asked to open my bag for a check

I don't think paying the government for a licence will give the sea angler any say,I think the EU regulations has a lot to do with the reducing fish stocks,if a boat fishing for one species and catch's another species and if the second species is landed without a quota the fishermen could end up with a criminal record
because of this tons of fish are dumped back in to the sea a lot i am sure would be dead when dumped back

the government and the eu should get it right with the Commercial fishing first but they wont do that because too much money involved

paying for a license is only adding to their money and wont do any thing for the like of us using a rod and line

of all the anglers using this web site I wonder how many have had their bags checked for the 2 bass limit

When you read about doz,s of anglers
" armed with lidl rods " taking bags of very small fish smaller than most people would use for bait.
It would appear that the only way to stop this is to LICENSE SEA ANGLING and set management std,s for sea angling no license lock them up.
What do you all think would it work

Besides the fact that it would be about as well organized and effective as a FAS course in fishing ("Rody, lend me a bundle of fifties to wrap me lug in"), why do you need the State to intervene in this? Instead, all of us have a role in bringing about change.

I agree man,its the only way forward.were we all licensed we would have a seat at future debates/discussions and have a say in how our seas are managed.it would`nt be perfect but we cant go on the way we are.we need a voice.just look at commercial fishing,about 1700 boats registered in ireland(skippers,owners,crew amount to less than 5000).we would outnumber them by 20/30 to 1.by forming one group ie.fee paying license holders,our voice would be powerfull.take for example the IFA-one unified group,when lobbying ministers,always get their way.TAXI DRIVERS-mishmash of different groups all after similar things but who does the minister sit down with.COMMERCIAL FISHING-exactly the same.license=unity=power=results.sooner the better.

The only way forward on restoring OUR marine environment is through the state. If it is in the NATIONAL INTEREST governments will listen. The BASS ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME and the DRIFT NETS are two cases in point. They may not be perfect, but they are steps in the right direction.

It is up to anglers, linking in with other interested parties to form a coherent lobby group. An angling licence is part of that process. Because when money has been paid to the state, the state has to listen. The expression PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS comes to mind.

I am calling on all thinking anglers, and moderators of this site to come together and get the ball rolling. My email address is with the moderators.

Regards...

Keep the State out of your lives. I'm not joining a trade union or applying for a licence to sea fish as a hobby in this country.

Guys, I don't think I know any salmon angler that wouldn't agree to catch and release being implemented across the board if it meant that all netting was banned.

This has been put to the state many times, by my local angling club and i'm sure many other angling clubs across the country.

They are just not interested, 'cause it would take money out of their pockets. Why do they turn an industry that could potentially make 200million a year through tourism into an industry that makes 2million a year? In truth it's because they are afraid to make a decission that will make them unpopular.

In answer to the comment above. Our hobby has been, and continues to be greatly affected by government and EU policy as I write. So in effect the state already has control over our hobby and the quality of fishing available. The thinking angler accepts this, desires positive change, and considers viable options to achieve that aim. Change will only occur if it is in, and I repeat, THE NATIONAL INTEREST.

It is up to all anglers who want there fishing restored to some semblance of what it was in the past to voice their concerns through a legitimate and government recognised channel. Such an organisation does not exist at the present time, it is up to anglers and other stakeholders to come together and create it.

If such an organisation or movement materialises whose main aim is restoration of the marine environment, then a licence would have to be considred as a bargaining tool in moving the current environmental situation forward.

Regards...

Whether we like it or not, the only way we are going to improve the current situation (over-fishing, damage to marine environment, etc.) is by convincing government and state agencies that there is a problem, that it must be addressed and that there are clear benefits to addressing it.

To simply say that decision makers will never listen to us is to give up and admit defeat just because doing something looks too difficult.