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Catch and Release in Germany


Leon Roskilly

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Following discussion on another thread, I've received the following information that came from an official of an angling organisation in Germany:

 

"There is no nationwide fishing law in germany but 16 different fishing laws for each country of Germany (so you have a fishing law in lower saxony, you have one in Northrhine-Westfalia, you have one in bavaria and so on, 16 of it!).

 

As for the question concerning catch and release, everyone has to pay attention on our animal protection law.

 

Everyone will be punished by this law if an animal is injured or killed or even stressed (fish in a keepnet for instance) unless there is a good reason for doing that.

 

This law is a "Bundesgesetz", a nationwide law (mind the difference to fishing laws!).

 

And if you are sentenced by our animal protection law you have a previous conviction.

 

For instance when a 16 or 17 year old boy is punished by this law he is previously convicted and may hardly get a job for example.

 

So that´s why catch and release in Germany is prohibited.

 

It is not written down in our laws, not in our fishing laws nor in the animal protection law, it is said in general, concerning all animals.

 

Anglers have been sentenced by our judges several times. On the other hand some anglers have been acquitted, after keeping fish in a keepnet.

 

Some fishing laws (Rhineland-Palatinate) include fishing with a keepnet, some don´t.

 

It´s all up to the angler himself how he is handling the keepnet and if it is in accordance with the animal protection law.

 

We as persons in charge for our members in an angling association cannot spring into action but advise caution or say "Don´t release a fish you have caught!"

 

An angler in Germany nowadays could never say: "I didn´t know, that a fish mustn´t be released." Or: "I didn´t know, that I placed my keepnet not in the right way." Or something like that.

 

An angler in Germany is instructed by course during several weeks. He then got a license called "Fischerprüfungsausweis" and the so called "Fischereischein".

 

A german Angler is not allowed to fish without this license (Fischereischein)! This license is awarded by the federal states of Germany.

 

It is considered as expert knowledge for how to treat fish.

 

So if you are accused you cannot tell the judge, that you did not know that it is forbidden to return the fish you just caught."

 

(This reminds me of how our 'Child Protection' legislation in the UK that has meant that many anglers and clubs who once instructed children in angling, no longer feel safe to do so, or cannot be fussed with all of that bureaucracy.

 

The position may not much different than before but now the risks are spelled out and, unless anglers are dedicated enough to become accredited coaches, or a club prepared to go through the red tape, helping kids with becoming good anglers doesn't happen very much now.

 

It's probably not a direct ban on angling that will do for us in the end, but a steady erosion of our liberties as anglers.

 

That's why we should all suppport, and more importantly get involved with our angling bodies who we feel should do the job of standing up for us. Right now, there are many ready to complain, far too few prepared to get involved)

 

Tight Lines - leon

RNLI Shoreline Member

Member of the Angling Trust

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Interesting - Thanks for that Leon.

Paul

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quote:


Originally posted by Leon Roskilly:

 

It's probably not a direct ban on angling that will do for us in the end, but a steady erosion of our liberties as anglers.

 

That's why we should all suppport, and more importantly get involved with our angling bodies who we feel should do the job of standing up for us. Right now, there are many ready to complain, far too few prepared to get involved)

 

Tight Lines - leon


Well, another job for George Bush, maybe :confused:

 

DG

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So is it putting fish in a keepnet that is banned in some of the regions or catch and release?

From what I make of it if you release it straight away unharmed then thats ok?

Quite diferent from what the UK green party want (total ban on angling).

PS, well done for finding the info Leon, I struggled though loads of German sites but found little 'hard facts'.

Jealousy: totally irrational anger directed at people who happen to be richer, prettier, thinner, cleverer and more successful than you are.
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It would cetainly be a shame to kill the fish - but it's amazing that killing a creature doesn't count as harming it, but putting it in a keep net does! I wonder what effect the laws have on the fish stocks, size of fish etc

john clarke

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It is acceptable to kill a fish before eating it, provided that it is done so in as humane a way as possible, and anglers can argue that a rod caught fish, despatched quickly suffers far less than a fish dragged in a trawl for a considerable time, crushed in the cod end, and left to die gasping upon a trawlers deck.

 

To put a creature through the stress and likely harm of catching it purely for the enjoyment of the angler is not acceptable under German law.

 

Although a number of countries have adopted catch and release as a conservation measure, to protect the income derived from recreational angling, the UK coarse angling culture of almost 100% catch and release is fairly unique.

 

As many Americans would have it 'If you ain't gonna eat it, don't mess with it'!

 

Even in the UK, many non-anglers are amazed that anglers 'throw back' the fish they catch, and are uneasy with the concept of causing 'suffering' to fish just for the pleasure of reeling it in and putting it back.

 

Have a look at

 

http://org.nlh.no/etikkutvalget/English/catch.htm

 

which describes a more internationally common view with regard to catch and release fishing.

 

In most parts of Europe, it is common to catch fish for the pan, including most of what we would recognise as coarse fish.

 

I think that most people would be amazed at the amount of natural death and destruction that goes on beneath the water's surface, night and day, 7 days a week.

 

An angler on the bank is just one more predator, vying with mink, otter, cormorants, pike, zander, and many other predators.

 

By and large nature adjusts to a level of predation and where fish are hunted for food by anglers, there really doesn't seem to be a dearth of fish.

 

Of course small waters with occupied pegs every few yards would need constant re-stocking, as happens with trout waters in the UK now.

 

If a similar regime were to be introduced in the UK, what we would lose is 'easy' specimen fishing.

 

Big fish would be rare, and anglers would have to be prepared to travel to fish remote/large waters, and/or at least pay a premium to fish waters holding large stocked fish.

 

And of course there would be little scope for match angling. I doubt that Bob Nudd could eat all the fish he catches (though keeping several cats could help I guess!)

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

<small>[ 11. June 2004, 12:41 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]</small>

RNLI Shoreline Member

Member of the Angling Trust

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The situation in Germany is not quite as clear cut as the post implies. The laws relate to fish above a certain size - size-limits, if you like. All anglers are required to carry a rule (i.e. ruler) and to ensure that if they catch a fish below the size limit, it is returned to the water because it is undersize.

 

If you forget the ruler - which you must carry with you as a legal requirement - you can employ the licence (which is of a known width) to measure your catch. Above the size limit = catch & keep; below = catch & return.

 

The laws are quite widely flouted, so I am told, but you must be aware that a 'green' could come along, watch you fish and report you for any transgression. Bet the bunny-huggers in the UK would love that power (over my dead body).

 

If anyone has fluent German, I have the course books for the German angling exam and the posters which accompany the course work.

Bruno

www.bruno-broughton.co.uk

'He who laughs, lasts'

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quote:


If anyone has fluent German, I have the course books for the German angling exam and the posters which accompany the course work.


Yes please Bruno. I'd be interested in going through the literature and would appreciate it if you could send it on to me.

 

BTW, for all reading this thread who may get the chance to fish in Germany, in my experience producing a U.K. licence has given me no problems in getting permission or tickets to fish so far (catch and release of course ).

Paul

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I took the exam whilst living in Germany. OK it helps speaking German. It is not awarded as such just an exam you can take and must pass to be able to legally fish or even join a club. You are lucky Peter as I tried to show a UK License and was laughed at ! Get in quickly to see if you can get an Fischereischein with it.

 

The key notes have been hit as regards to the official line on catch and release but one area has not been mentioned.

 

A lot of Germans indeed most Europeans being mainly land locked compared to the UK actually enjoy eating what we consider to be coarse fish. To us it is an anaethma but we have always had the alternative of relatively fresh sea fish.

 

Having said that the laws are draconian and in Germany you can forget the myth that Europeans ignore their laws. If it is on the statute the Fluss Shutz Polizie, River Protection Police, will have you.

 

I am still in regular contact with friends over there and things are changing amongst the anglers themselves. I have mentioned this on another site but if you buy one of the weeklies you might not need a translator if you buy UK magazines regularly. Names like Marsden, Cundiff, Bowler etc are all regular contributors. The articles are directly translated to German without editing for the German market so our attitides are well known and especially amongst carpers and now starting amongst barbellers. Catch and release is being very, very, very quietly practised by a few.

 

Have to admit to being something of a tree hugger myself but Leon is spot on when he say that we need to keep our eyes on the political situation.

Cheers

Andy

ANMC Member, Go on you want to too !

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