31 October 2007
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to withdraw the proposal of a recreational sea anglers rod licence fee from the white paper marine bill published on 15 March 2007."
Details of Petition:
"A Marine Bill White Paper, was published on 15 March 2007, in which it was proposed that recreational sea anglers should pay for a rod licence to fund work to improve sea angling and fish stocks in our coastal waters. Not only would this be extremely expensive and almost impossible to enforce, it is also impossible to manage fish stocks to the same extent as our inland waters. We have had the right to fish freely along our coast for as long as man has walked this island, it is one of the few fundamental rights we have left in this country and I do not believe we should lose that right."
Read the Government’s response
The UK Government recognises the importance of Recreational Sea Angling (RSA) and the substantial contribution it makes to the UK economy, and we are ensuring that sea anglers’ needs are increasingly considered as we manage and develop fisheries policy.
The Marine Bill will equip fisheries managers with powers that may be necessary for a more active approach to managing recreational fisheries in the future. This includes proposals to introduce a recreational sea angling licence, which would be similar to that operated by the Environment Agency for freshwater angling. The Government would expect that any proposed licensing scheme would need to clearly demonstrate the benefits for sea anglers, with revenue being used to improve recreational sea angling. It is the Government’s intention to ensure that any use of the proposed powers to introduce a licensing scheme is subject to a full consultation to gather a full range of views.
Licences are also being considered within the context of the RSA Strategy, where it forms part of an overall package of measures for sea anglers. To ensure that this work is taken forward in partnership with all those who have a stake in fish stocks, the Strategy is being developed by representatives across a range of sectors. It has recently been endorsed by Defra’s Inshore Fisheries Working Group who have recommended a full consultation later this year to capture a wide range of views.