Amateur anglers escape EU quotas

NEWS that tight fish-catching quotas proposed by the European Union will not affect amateur anglers has been welcomed in Brixham.

But fears remain the crackdown will still include charter boats which fish off South Devon shores.

Graham Watson, MEP for South West England, says the EU fisheries commissioner confirmed to him the new rules are not for 'the hobby angler who catch a few kilos of fish'.

In a letter to Mr Watson, Commissioner Joe Borg said: "Let me emphasise that our proposal would not cover either shore anglers, including those wading in the sea, or anglers fishing from a pier or a canoe.

"The hobby angler who catches a few kilos of fish every time he goes out fishing and uses it exclusively for his private consumption will not be covered by the control regulation, even if he catches fish like cod which is under a recovery plan."

However, Mr Borg went on to say: "It would, in fact, only cover recreational fishermen who fish from a vessel in the open sea and who catch fish, which are under multi-annual plans, that are threatened by extinction."

Graham Dryer, chairman of Brixham Sea Anglers' Club and owner of Brixham Bait and Tackle Shop, said: "For the pleasure and holiday angler this news is very good, it's very positive.

"It's good for the guy who comes on holiday and wants to fish on a Sunday once a year, which is very helpful for me.

"It helps my future and my son's future in the shop because that's what the majority of our business through the shop relies on.

"The shore angler and the holiday maker is our bread and butter."

But Mr Dryer spelled out concerns for the charter boat industry, saying: "Obviously, for the charter boats there is still going to be a regulation they've got to keep and I still can't see how they're going to govern that.

"Sometimes, a pleasure angler only goes boat fishing once a year. They may catch 12 fish which they gut and prepare at sea and when they come back they put them in the freezer and those fish last a year.

"If there is a bag limit of say three fish, then at around £45 per head to go out on a boat, it gets to be expensive fishing.

"It's a grey area for charter boats. Will there be a boat limit or a limit per fisherman on board?

"They've got to give us a decision. It still seems to be an unlevel playing field."

Dave Harrison, who owns the charter boat Gemini which operates from Dartmouth, also does not believe it will be possible to enforce quota catches on charter boats.

He says: "It could drastically reduce our income, and it's possible it could force some people out of business or make people diversify into other things.

"It worries me but it's impossible to police with no funding there."

The Angling Trust welcomed Mr Borg's statement about amateur anglers, but called for the commissioner to honour his promise to exclude recreational fishing from the proposals.

Trust director Richard Ferre said: "The UK's £1billion recreational sea angling sport is caught up in this controversy and urgently needs to be disentangled from it."