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Proposed legislation.


gozzer

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Right, I have just registered on the EA website and had my say on the consultation form regarding this subject and, I have also sent the EA enquiries unit an email asking why they hadn't emailed all licence holders about the proposals.

 

May I suggest that as many people as possible do the latter at least?

 

Just in case this doesn't work I'm going off to buy a new freezer tonight and the next few weeks will be spent emptying the Lugg of grayling to fill up said freezer in case it becomes illegal to eat fish! B)

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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I added my replies some time ago, having found the consultation document purely by accident....the EA website is one of the few I can legitimately use in the course of my work, so I do tend to peruse it quite thoroughly for anything remotely angling related under the guise of working.... ;)

 

Worms made a very valid point - if they wanted genuine comments on this consultation document, then they have the names and addresses of all licence holders. Why on earth wasn't a mail shot done? I appreciate that it would cost a considerable amount, but if they are genuinely seeking our opinions then the least they could do would be to let us know!

 

Janet

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if they are genuinely seeking our opinions

 

Unfortunately they intend nothing of the sort.

 

Quasi-governmental organisations like the EA are required by law to consult when proposing major policy changes or legislation. For example, the Post Office had to consult when they shut each post office in the recent closure programme across the country. Since almost everyone uses post offices they couldn't really get away with hiding the consultations away, so they just ignored the consultation responses (for the most part) and closed the branches they wanted anyway.

 

Bodies like the EA have more disparate and marginal "stakeholders" so can get away with burying decisions (and consultations on those decisions) that will affect a large number of them more easily, as with this case. They certainly aren't going to spend money on informing the people they are supposed to be serving about decisions that might be viewed negatively.

 

This consultation probably breaches more than half of the guidelines issued by the Government in its code of practice (to which the EA is supposedly subject - you can view them here: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/consul...page44420.html). In reality, of course, nobody can actually do anything about this because bodies like the EA are almost completely unaccountable to those they are supposed to represent and serve.

 

Just another bunch of overpaid officials in suits, who force you to pay money to tell you what you aren't allowed to do anymore. All this legislation will achieve, when it is inevitably introduced, is criminalise more perfectly decent people at the expense of the taxpayer (and the license payer) :rolleyes::angry:

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The points about shad and eels are fine, and indeed welcome,

It might be by you Anderoo, but it isn't by me.

 

I know little about shad so i wont go into them, but where is the evidence that anglers taking eels for the pot has had any impact on the eel population?

 

Don't you think UK anglers taking eels is at an all time low for the last few thousand years?

 

If eel numbers are so bad lets have them off the shelves in shops don't ban anglers from doing something that has next to no relevance and is completely unlinked to the resent drop in eel numbers which locally at least looks to have started to mend a bit in the last year or so to me.

 

If eel numbers pick back up what is the chance of this pointless law being lifted?

 

Do the Angling Trust now about this? If not why not? If so why have they not tried to inform anglers about it?

 

If anglers were banned from taking coarse fish for the pot were does that leave predator anglers taking them for bait? You cant take them for the pot but you can take them for pleasure?

 

The hole thing smells like a rat to me. Who's wages are we paying at the EA?

 

A tiger does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep

 

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I'll read the guidelines later...I have to be up at 4am for a fishing trip!

 

However, I sent this to the EA earlier....

 

Good evening,

 

Whilst browsing the EA website, I came across a National fisheries byelaw consultation “Removal of fish by rod and line”.

 

As I understand it, the EA is seeking comments from anglers, clubs etc on this consultation document.

 

If I hadn’t accidentally stumbled across this, I would never have known about it. Surely, if the EA is genuinely seeking the opinions of anglers, then the sensible thing would be to contact all the licence holders?

 

I find it appalling that this document hasn’t been more widely circulated to the people whose sport may be affected by it, or are the EA just paying lip service to the need for public consultation?

 

Thankfully, a few Internet angling forums have brought it to wider attention in recent days, but it still remains that there are many, many anglers who don’t use the Internet forums or read the angling press. How are they supposed to voice their comments?

 

Public consultation?

 

I don’t think so.

 

I look forward to your comments.

 

Will they reply? Watch this space....

 

Janet

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It might be by you Anderoo, but it isn't by me.

 

I know little about shad so i wont go into them, but where is the evidence that anglers taking eels for the pot has had any impact on the eel population?

 

Don't you think UK anglers taking eels is at an all time low for the last few thousand years?

 

If eel numbers are so bad lets have them off the shelves in shops don't ban anglers from doing something that has next to no relevance and is completely unlinked to the resent drop in eel numbers which locally at least looks to have started to mend a bit in the last year or so to me.

 

If eel numbers pick back up what is the chance of this pointless law being lifted?

 

Do the Angling Trust now about this? If not why not? If so why have they not tried to inform anglers about it?

 

If anglers were banned from taking coarse fish for the pot were does that leave predator anglers taking them for bait? You cant take them for the pot but you can take them for pleasure?

 

The hole thing smells like a rat to me. Who's wages are we paying at the EA?

I'm pretty much in agreement with you Lutra. I don't take eels (by choice) but I answered 'don't know' to the consultation question. I added that I thought that all commercial eel and elver trapping should stop before angling was limited and then by using size and perhaps bag limits.

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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I'm pretty much in agreement with you Lutra. I don't take eels (by choice) but I answered 'don't know' to the consultation question. I added that I thought that all commercial eel and elver trapping should stop before angling was limited and then by using size and perhaps bag limits.

 

Fair enough, but I have no problem in promising to return endangered species, whether it's angling or otherwise which has brought them to near extinction. If I caught a salmon I'd be damn sure to return it carefully, after all. That doesn't mean I don't want other, more useful, measures put into place.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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I do hope that all of us with our very varied opinions have at least bothered to register and put forward our views?

 

It only takes a few minutes, and I had no problems.

 

It's all very well us debating the matter on here, but if we don't make the effort to respond, our opinions won't count for much. We can't just sit back, mutter amongst ourselves and hope that it will all sort itself out. This is not the tiime to be complacent and hope that someone else will take the initiative! The form is very simple to complete with tick boxes for agree/disagree etc....there is room for your added comments, but they aren't mandatory. The whole process takes only a few minutes.

 

Please guys, if you have a view, then make it known to them! They asked for our opinions...let's give it to them!

 

Janet

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Janet Ive Emailed the EA three times this year on different issues.Each time Ive got an automated reply within hours saying that my email will be dealt with and I will have a reply in 10 days.

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say Ive not had a reply to any of them and the last was sent several months ago.

 

When I needed to phone them re my rod licences this year the guy I spoke yo was very helpfull.My email requests were far simpler requests for information so why couldnt they reply? One was as simple as was it ok to laminate the new licence! why no answer?

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

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