EU eases on impact of sea angling.

As increasing pressure is mounted on the EU commission concerning Article 47 of the proposed control regulations, press releases keep appearing on both sides of the channel which indicate the perceived original intentions of Article 47 are being watered down.

Joe Borg, the fisheries commissioner assured anglers last week that the proposals wouldn’t affect the hobby angler who catches a few kilos of fish every time he goes out fishing.

Now, Fisheries Spokeswoman, Natalie Charbonneau has gone a stage further saying …”I am sure that anglers would agree on the need for us to preserve our vulnerable stocks and ensure that angling continues to be a source of enjoyment for them for many years to come. UK anglers have argued that the vast majority of the fish that they catch is returned to the sea alive. Needless to say, these fish will not be counted against the national quota.”

This is certainly different to the Defra position from early January which suggests the opposite when a Defra spokesman stated…..”With regard to your question on catch and release, the wording of the proposal says catching. This suggests that whether the fish are landed or released is not a factor, just the catching aspects. This principle would probably apply to the way in which quotas are calculated and exhausted too.”

If the latest round of EU press releases confirm the original intention of the proposals, why weren’t they released last November.? It would certainly have saved thousands of man hours across Europe.

It is almost as if the proposals were deliberately left as vague as possible so the Commission could gauge the response before deciding what course of action to take.

SSACN believes amended proposals will be on the table shortly so watch this space.

Category: SSACN Announcements