A FISHING crackdown proposed by the European Union could impose quotas on recreational fishermen and put South Devon jobs at risk, it has been warned.

Local sea anglers are incensed by moves to include amateurs within tight restrictions to protect endangered species such as cod, ling, pollack and shark.

In an effort to conserve diminishing stocks, commercial fishermen have to adhere to strict quotas under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.

Anglers currently have no such limits, but critics fear that even once-a-year hobbyists taking pleasure cruises and angling by rod and line will fall foul of so-called article 47.

Mike Concannon, an angler with the Brixham Sea Angling Club, said the quota would be impossible to enforce given the vast number of amateur fishermen and the subsequent strain on the fishing industry's bureaucracy.

He said: "We object because there's no mechanism anywhere to finance the collection of the information on what fish anglers catch.

"Whose to say what people are catching. It's a pointless, empty piece of legislation.

"If all of the anglers in the South West go fishing every day for a year around the South West coastline they would probably catch less fish than one major haul by an offshore trawler.

"Every angler fishing around our coast would have to be registered.

"If somebody came here on holiday and wanted to fish off the quay, they would have to be registered and their catch recorded.

"There are 19,000 jobs in the recreational fishing industry in the UK, about twice the number employed by the commercial fishing sector, and it generates £2billion to the economy each year.

"It would impact on B&Bs, charter boats, tackle shops, all sorts of people.

"Hobby fishing is the biggest participation sport in the UK — there are more anglers than people who play football — but the amount of fish we catch is quite negligible because fish aren't that easy to catch."

Under the plan devised each state would be given a quota for each protected species. The plan would require recreational boat captains to apply for a licence for their boat and stop fishing when their quota has been reached.

Giles Chichester, South West Tory MEP, is to meet anglers in the Abbey Inn, by the River Dart in Buckfast, at 11am today to hear their concerns.