an idea to stop fish being taken by eastern europeans

[Dick Dastardly]

Polands rivers are devoid of fish................I KNOW BECAUSE I`VE FISHED THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Yet Czechoslovakia's (they eat all they catch),Germany's (they have to kill all they catch) Rommania's (where they actually have trawlers on their lakes) have plenty of fish in them! and I know this as Ive either lived or fished a lot in these countries.

 

I would suggest that Poland's problems are more to do with limited fishing due to extensive industrial pollution of most of their major water ways?

 

Apparently during the war years pike were extensively taken and eaten from both the Pevensey and Romney Marshs wasnt any shortage of them untill "anglers" started match fishing for them on these waters in the last decade or two!

 

I may be a bit dissmisive of this whole supposed issue just because I dont see it/hear of it in my area (got plenty of Kossovans,Latvians and Polish people in my area) and I may well be wrong and it is a problem in other areas.Im watching the poll which asks if people have actually seen it with great interest.

[Sportsman]

To quote from the link

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for England. That is the whole point. There may well be countless fish stocks in Eastern Europe, that can support fishing for consumption by their relatively sparse populations. The fish stocks here were capable of the same back in Isaak Walton's day, when this country had a population of four million people. The difference is that we now have a population of nearly sixty million. This problem is neither "perceived", "exaggerated" nor "racist", it is real. If the immigrants were pulling their gill nets through the Dee at Balmoral instead of Fenland drains you can bet that the authorities would do something about it!

 

If anyone was pulling gill nets through the Dee at Balmoral they would be stopped by one of the many keepers or ghillies employed for the purpose. These keepers have to be paid, they get a house and a landrover and they are veery well equiped and trained. Thats why fishing on such rivers can cost thousands of pounds a week.

If you want the same level of protection on your fenland drain go for it, but be aware that the cost of your day ticket might have to go up a bit

[corydoras]

Polands rivers are devoid of fish................I KNOW BECAUSE I`VE FISHED THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The trouble with us Brits is we never seem to do anything about anything until its to late.

Tell us all where in Poland you have fished then? From the bit of searching around I have done this afternoon Poland seems to be teeming with fish. I wish we had a system like the Czech Republic. Buy a rod licence and you can fish anywhere as ALL rivers and lakes are public access.

 

I live in Southampton, a city with a population of some 220,000. Southampton has between 10,000 to 30,000 Poles living here depending on who you believe. I have noticed lots of local shops putting up signs in Polish, the local newsagent even sells Polish magazines and newspapers now. It seems that nearly every other car has Polish plates. I live in a street where most of the dwellings are Houses of Multiple Occupancy, ours is the only owner-occupier left on our particular terrace, we have bedsits full of Polish neighbours on both sides. I have never seen any of them fishing, most of the time they are too busy working to go out and fish. Eastern Europeans pinching fish does not seem to be a problem here in Little Warsaw at least.

 

FWIW all the Poles I have met have been nice polite people, with well brought up kids. Not like the feral (English) urchins that infest the council estate on the other side of the road.

 

I can't speak for other Eastern Europeans but the Polish community should know that pinching fish is a problem because it has been covered in their press. http://www.polishexpress.co.uk/artykul.aspx?id=228

Edited October 2, 2006 by corydoras

[Bob Bradford]

I would just like to point out that despite my contributions to this thread and it's heading I do not believe that all fish thefts are the work of Eastern Europeans, I never have,nor have I ever stated such a thing, just to put the record straight, I want to see all illegal fish catching methods stopped and the culprits brought to justice, for me it has never been a race issue and never will be, It actually clouds the very real issue of organised fish thefts up and down our Country and the FACT that the EA (by their own admission) do not have the remit to stop it, I pay for a licence to fish just like so many others, I have and will continue to raise strong objections to those that DO NOT PURCHASE A LICENCE AND USE ILLEGAL FISHING METHODS TO STEAL OUR NATURAL FISH STOCKS,whether it be for food or any other reason, there are laws in this Country to stop this sort of thing and I for one want them enforced.....is that too much to ask?

[corydoras]

No its not too much to ask, but it is only the Police wh can do anything about it. I know one thing, if it was happening in France the gendarmes would be all over them like a rash.

[Dick Dastardly]

No its not too much to ask, but it is only the Police wh can do anything about it. I know one thing, if it was happening in France the gendarmes would be all over them like a rash.

 

Surely it is the EA's job to deal with it with police back up?

 

Also it does happen in France (er and for that matter Spain and Italy that I definately know of) but their fisheries/fishing laws/rules enforcment agency,The Garde de Peche (Who incidently for those that dont know are armed) keep on top of the situation.

 

Shame that we cant take a lesson from our continental friends.The main difference that I can see though is that the Garde de Peche only have the fishing (both sport and comercial) to police.Other departments deal with water quality,navagation etc.Each area has a dedicated team of officers who patrol that area on a daily basis.Its not as though they have unlimited resources either as the "areas" are quite large.What they do have though is the ability to arrest people,confiscate tackle,cars etc the same (as I am lead to believe an oficial EA baillif has?) but the difference is that they actually USE these powers and therefore comand a bit of respect/fear!

 

But of course the reason these continental countries have such an efficient system is because they are policing a system which revolves around the routine (and within the rules legal) taking of fish for the table.

As previously mentioned the area of UK angling which also recieves this level of policing (or as near as we get in the UK) is game fishing.Once again an area where the taking of fish is the norm rather than the exception.Also despite the massive task MAFF (or the new equivelant) also police sea angling (both commercial and sport) to a higher degree than the EA does coarse wise in freshwater.

 

I know Chevin has chastised us all for moving away from the origonal proposal but it wasnt really a proposal as all licence holders are all ready able (legaly) to check others licences on production of their own.No "part time" person is ever going to be given the full powers of a baillif.

 

No I honestly believe that regardless of lack off funding,resources,manpower the EA has simply got to get its act together.It all ready has the legal powers it must now start using them.

 

My recent survey on rod licence checks showed me that it isnt just a localised problem rather that the actual checking of them was extremely localised!

 

Do you know what I really reckon the problem regards the issues not being acknoledged is? that classic British trait of every line manager telling his immediate boss that "every things sweet boss no problems here!" ...........because after all no ones boss wants to hear that you have problems do they? I cant mention exact names but I know of one trout reservoir that has a policiy of never prosecuting poachers (no matter how many or how often each individual is caught by the baillifs) as its "bad publicity" and the manager always tells his company that they have no problems with poaching.Jus how far up does this sort of thing go I wonder?

 

Or once again do the powers what be simpley realise the problem but dont think it severe enough to bother with?

 

As I said in an earlier post if the EA would come clean it would certainly help the problem ie if they think there isnt a big enough problem then maybe (allthough doubtfull!) we would all shut up and if they said it was a major problem then some more resources would be directed their way?

[corydoras]

No doubt sportsman will correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that north of the border bailiffs have full power of arrest.

[Dick Dastardly]

No doubt sportsman will correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that north of the border bailiffs have full power of arrest.

 

 

Doesnt an official EA bailiff then?

[Bob Bradford]

Good post Budgie...take a look in todays Angling Times mate.

[corydoras]

Doesnt an official EA bailiff then?

Not in quite the same way Budgie. I might be way out of date though, I have not lived in Scoland for about 20 years now. It used to be that a bailiff was just like a policeman, he could even cuff you. If you were suspected of having stolen fish in your house he could enter without a warrant, just like customs and excise.