More EU interference: Sea Angling soon to be a sport of the past.

The greasy tentacles of the EU superstate find ever more areas to control, first up this bit from the BBC: link

Sea angling is a sport largely free from the tentacles of government bureaucracy. Unlike their freshwater colleagues, sea anglers do not even need to buy rod licences. But things could be about to change.

Could be, oh come on this is the EU, you know that our government will rubber stamp whatever silly rules their masters in the EU dictate to them.

The European Union now wants to bring anglers into the quota system.

Commercial fishermen, of course, are already subject to strict quotas limiting the number of fish they can take from the sea.

But, at the moment, people who fish for pleasure are free to take home whatever they catch.

Free of quotas, free of taxes, free of regulations, free of some EU quango overseeing them, free of fines for breaking all the new EU regulations. This must stop! Anyone would think we are living in a democracy or something.

Chartered sea fishing trips are big business in the South West, but the European Commission is worried about the impact these recreational anglers are having on fish stocks.

The commission has come up with new proposals to protect endangered species like Sole.

There you go they have the excuse for regulations all lined up. They will get some tree huggers on the campagn, throw in a bit about saving the planet, maybe even work global warming into it. All to save the sole!

Anglers would, for the first time, be included in the Common Fisheries Policy.

The proposals would mean every recreational boat skipper would have to apply for a licence.

While there is concern about quotas, the anglers say their biggest fear is the paperwork.

Oh yes, naturally costs will be incurred by all this paperwork, costs that will be passed on as licenses to be paid by the now commercial fisherfolk. After all what was once an innocent day trip is now commercial fishing, to be regulated and ruled from Brussels.

More can be found here and over at whitbyseaanglers, which had these telling facts:

Sea anglers catch cod, pollack, ling, shark and other species, as do commercial fishermen and the EU officials want these considered in allocating quotas to each nation, so that they would be deducted from what commercial fishermen are allowed catch.

While details of the proposals are still being examined by interests in the sea angling sector, they would have a negative effect on the Irish angling industry, which is a major tourism economic asset.

So how do you allocate quotas? Well by regulateing everyone who puts so much as a stick with a bit of string an a hook into the water thats how. The EU will then produce some spurious/made up/dreamed up figures to back up their argument.

Also watch these duplicitous bastards play off commercial fishing vessels against anglers - the old divide and conquer measure - as they openly state that considered in allocating quotas to each nation, so that they would be deducted from what commercial fishermen are allowed catch.

I am sure that the fate of fishing as a pastime will be heading the same way as fox hunting here in the UK, where New Labour has furnished an army of state employed quislings to enforce every petty rule as though carved in stone.

Another reason to hate the Eu and all it stands for.

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