Let's be very clear on a few things. This government has had several opportunities to show us, anglers, that they were serious about providing us with an "improved angling experience". There was a motion to raise the minimum landing size for bass to 45cm, backed by Bradshaw, a size that would've given the fish chance to spawn. What did we get? No change, its still acceptable to land juvenile fish. ICES scientists advise a reduction in the cod quota to maintain the species ( not for anglers but for the fish! ), what did we get? We got an 11% increase in the cod quota, fought for by our current fisheries minister. Along with the commercial bias who guides him, do they know better than marine scientists? They sent a pretty clear signal where anglers sit in the scheme of things.
The one good thing this government have done was let the bank of England decide the interest rate, sensible to let people who know what they are doing make key decisions. What we do with fisheries "management" is manage for death and decline and its all over seen by a fruit picker turned council worker from Kent. Yes I'll pay for a licence because I'm a law abiding citizen who doesn't want to look over my shoulder everytime I go fishing, but I'll get less than feck all for my money.