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Sea angler rod licence should we have one ?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 6.1%
  • No

    Votes: 40 81.6%
  • Not sure

    Votes: 6 12.2%

Sea rod licence

2K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  Lee337 
#1 ·
Do you think we sea anglers should have a rod licence ? .Not sure myelf ,whats your view?
 
#3 ·
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Sorry guys didn't see this thread and i posted this elsewhere

Let's just say a million fishermen and women pay up. That's £22, 000,000 which let's face it you could live on for a while. But someone's got to enforce it and that means checking licences so we'll have to have bailiffs; say a salary, including pensions etc (public sector employees remember) of £22k a year - makes the maths easier, so our £22m buys 1000 bailiffs to police over 11,000 miles of coastline giving them 110 miles each to look after doesn't sound too bad, difficult but not impossible; but hang on a minute they're going to have to have wheels and because they may be in difficult terrain probably a 4x4. New Land Rover or Toyota c£20,000 so that leaves us with roughly 500 enforcers (200 miles each). But this isn't the end of it what about a head office, regional offices, admin staff, computers, stationery, telephones and all the other paraphanalia associated with running a Government bureaucracy and all of a sudden you're looking for extra money to collect, run and police the thing. SO WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO COME FROM TO MAKE OUR SPORT ANY BETTER


Again apologies to those who had to read this twice.
 
#4 ·
I have kept fairly quiet on this subject so far, my own feeling are that No. a rod licence wont work, I was going to quote subjects similar to paid4....but he's beat me to it :p

lets face it, up here in Scotland we dont pay to fish fresh water ( apart from usual trout/salmon etc) and not paying a licence hasnt improved our fishing...so what good will parting with money to fish in the sea make ? will it improve our Cod catches ?.... no I dont think it will...do you ?
 
#5 ·
"As an indication of the importance of marine leisure, in 1995 the total Marine Related Contribution to the UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was £27.8 billion, with leisure accounting for 21%. By comparison commercial fisheries (including aquaculture) accounted for only 3%." ( Taken from government report )

We don't get anything just now, what makes you think it'll be different with a license????????

If you think paying for a license will make a difference 'Give your head a shake'
 
#6 ·
Can't see it working myself, get the feeling it would just be a revenue raiser for the guys in Westminster.

How they gonna police it. Sydney in Australia have a licencing system but the guys down there say that its a waste of time because there is nobody there to inforcing the system.

If it stopped all the litter, dead fish and total idiots that go to the rocks then I might just support it.
 
#8 ·
Sorry - been away for a few days and missed this.

I voted no. Not because I want free fishing; I have a freshwater rod licence, and having fished for 30 odd years, how many times have I been asked to produce it by a bailiff? Zero! If they can't police a few acres of fresh water, they have no chance of effectively policing thousands of miles of coastline.

Licence fees go toward cleaning up our rivers and lakes. Our fresh water courses are cleaner now than they have been for 100 years, but why is the licence fee increased year upon year if pollution is no longer a major threat? Answer - Beaurocracy, paying for wages, paperwork and logistics.

I'm happy to pay for an end to pollution and the unscrupulous and indiscriminate slaughter of fish, but I ain't paying for some stuffed shirt to ride around and sniff the sea air on 20 grand a year, and if the idea of paying for sea fishing licences becomes reality, I bet the fee will double within 10 years.

Sorry about the whinge. I did have a nice break, honest. :)
 
#9 ·
I am not up on old laws but doesnt the magna carta give us the right to fish any seas. The license, as far as i am concerned is just another invasion on our civil rights, and another money making ploy for the fat cats.
Anyway, the ammount of anglers fishing at any one time in Britain would, surely make it a little awkward to enforce?
I dont really think we have a say on the matter, The goverment will do what THEY want as usual. :mad:
 
#10 ·
This is one Idea that will never work, I'll bet anyone now that A sea-Fishing-Rod-Licence will not EVER come out, So don't worry we will never see one in our lifetime.
But saying that I'd like to see it happen, and if it is controlled properly, so we get rid of all the "Summer-Time-Fools" that do nothing but give us all headache's :mad:
That's what I think anyway.
 
#11 ·
By Radiokaos:I am not up on old laws but doesnt the magna carta give us the right to fish any seas.
Spot on, Magna Carta states that all tidal areas are free from any toll, although land owners can charge you access to the coast if you have to cross their land to get there. Don't know the exact wording but I bet someone on the forum will come up with the goods. ;)
 
#12 ·
Off topic slightly, if you have free access under Magna Carta to the intertidal zone how come the Crown Estates charge for drying moorings? Do not make the mistake that anything written in law or chisseled in tablets of stone cannot be changed by a politician if he sees a Pound to be made.

Oh yes, the Crown Estates work for the Queen, she gets the money they collect. She is the person who is supposed to protect us, not rip us off but binning ancient rights. Until 1980 odd a tidal mooring was free of charges except for private tidal rivers eg Beauliegh (sp) then along came a judge and said a charge by the crown was allowable. This removed an even more ancient right than Magna Carta, the right to moor.

On topic, I am all for a license on the same conditions as the commercial licenses were issued when they started. ie Free, they were given to existing commercial fishermen so why not give it to existing recreational fishermen. Anyone wanting to start commercial fishing has to buy an existing license from the owner for mega bucks. Anyone want to buy a recreational license?
 
#13 ·
As i have said recently on this subject, who is going to enforce it... it won't work :)
 
#14 ·
I dont think I could be ***** paying for a licence. Who is going to police it. Certainly not the Police force they have problems of there own bless em. So bailifs eh. mmmmm I wonder if they will come down to the cliffs at Arbroath at 03:00hrs on a Feb morning to see if I have the "paper". Or perhaps they will employ 45 Commado RM to do it for them LOL. They can do what they want I won't pay and I think that many others wont either.
I look at these bloody trawlers every day of my working life and wonder how long will it take for them to completely waste the oceans. Where are Friends of the Earth and Green Peace and the other rock throwing do gooders, why are they not tying themselves to the stern end of th trawlers and stopping them. Oh yes its not important enough for them or the government to look at until the EU wants something then Tone can jump like the trained poodle he is. That is of course once the fish have all gone.
Lets make Bass game fish with a special licence, why? Why do we always want to charge for leisure. How much does it cost to walk up Snowdon or Coniston Old Man or Ben Nevis.
Stick your rod licence and your bass licence where the sun don't shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#17 ·
I am with gale force on this the fresh water licence cost £28 for this they get clean/maintained rivers and managed stocks of fish. If some undesirable company pollutes any said fresh waterway they are jumped on by the enviromental powers and fined serverly the river is then treated, cleaned and restocked.
Not such a bad deal for your money!
But that could never happen with our sport. Without going over the same points allready, there are tons and tons over udersize catch thrown back dead every day,unlicensed trawlers inc the foriegn to name just a few and as for being able to enforce it ?????? Well thats got to be the biggest joke of them all
Can you see anybody going out in the early hours of an freezing january morning just on the chance that they MIGHT encounter someone in an isolated spot on the coast .and instead of the friendly "Had any luck mate?" you`ll get " Can I see you licence please sir" I THINK NOT........
Then he will spout the LAW and threaten to confiscate all your gear and possibly your mode of transport as well.
I hope that whoever the poor sole is that the powers that employ him supply him with a decent floation suit as I guess that he will probaly need it from time to time .
Without any sign (not just words) of things improving then hardly anybody will for the fee for the license as it will just look like way for the Goverment to ring a few more pounds out of us all.
 
#18 ·
By Big Dee - I hope that whoever the poor sole is that the powers that employ him supply him with a decent floation suit as I guess that he will probaly need it from time to time .
Can you imagine the Ad in the job section of the Western Mail:

Environment Agency Bailiff Required for South Wales Coast. Must be strong swimmer!
 
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