Sorry for the topic but on Saturday night I went over to Seaford for a spot of Bass fishing. Here we met a local expert bass angler and we got on the topic of how crap this season has been and in particular a mark I love well.

He has stated and witnessed A LOT of local dingy anglers who steam out of Newhaven and area and in his own words literally decimate the local Bass (30 or 40 Bass per session per dingy). Anything from ONE pound in weight and up (and a double is never released) goes back to shore and there, they are sold between £3.50 and £4.50 per pound. :mad:

I'm absolutely disgusted with these so called anglers afloat who feel that the Bass owe them their fuel trip expenses and therefore every Bass must go back to shore and then sold illegally :mad:

Well if your that minority who steam out, thank you for your invaluable input in to the world of sport angling and I hope your proud on what you do...NOT, arse holes.

If you can't afford the expenses of owning a boat, do us and our sport a favour an sell it. I wonder what sort of people you are :mad:

So, it seems in these areas it ain't inshore commercials but greedy anglers who shouldn't even be out in the water or let loose to fish that is affecting local fishing here.

Before we blame other industries we need to get our own house in order

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Spot on Pugs. Scumbags in my opinion!

Absolutely pugs, those morons are every where mate, or are they? they might be trying to build up a quick track record as bass fishermen, if the government decide to implement what is in the bmp? and only allow bass licenses to those who can prove that a large part of their income came from bass? then maybe this what a lot of these fast boat dingy owners might be doing, if so i sincerely hope they are to late, pugs its very much the same here the other side of the head.

Stavey, you probably know the marks I'm talking about then?

If its a shore mark maybe pugs? if its a boat mark no, i dont go out in a boat to fish any more and have'nt been for donkeys and that was only charters to far off wrecks, as for local inshore dingy marks i would not have a clue, but i do see them fast boats come ashore and what they have caught, so i am aware of pretty much of whats going on in my area.......

People catching fish for sale are commercial fishermen, whether they are using hook and line or nets.

If they are catching using an unlicensed powered boat, then what they are doing is illegal.

The problem in the past has always been that they have to be caught selling the fish, then it has to be proven that the fish that were being sold were the ones that they had caught.

But now we have the new Registration of Buyers and sellers legislation.

That makes it an offence for a pub or restuarant etc to buy first sale fish directly from a fisherman, unless they are registered as a buyer and have no doubt that the fish they are buying is from a licensed fisherman.

If you suspect that an establishment is buying illegally sold fish 'at the back door', then you should report your suspicions to the local office of the new Marine Fisheries Agency (see contact details at: http://www.mfa.gov.uk/contact/portoffice.htm )

(If there's no market for the sale of illegal fish, then the problem goes away)

Similarly the unlicensed seller should be reported.

It might also be worth reporting it to the Chief Fisheries Officer of your local Sea Fisheries Committee (particularly if you suspect undersized fish are being caught, or from a restricted area etc)

See under 'Contacts' at http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn

Tight Lines - leon

ps if the fish are being caught from the shore or from an unpwered vessel, using hook and line or nets, it's not illegal for them to be sold.

Not right though!

Lets get this right then leon, so now sea anglers can sell there fish, provided they are caught from the shore? with no need of a license, is that what you are saying?

Hi Stavey,

That's the way it's always been

That's one reason that we need sensible bag limits.

Tight Lines - leon

Ok leon thanks, i am a bit embarrassed not to have known this but there you go, live and learn, perhaps it would have made more sense to have licensed the use of a net and not the boat?

That's exactly what I said was happening at Dover, but I was slagged off by Wurzel, who said it was crap! It is GREED. It's not angling, it's robbery.