Will the new proposed legislation stop fish theft?

[RelaxGod]

Will the new proposed legislation stop fish theft?

 

No and it hasn't, the EA don't even turn up to reports of people fishing in the close season.

Last i heard there were 4 people working for the fisheries dept in the field in my local area and they spend most of their time electrofishing/surveying.

I've never been checked for a license, despite being sat next to and seeing various different EA staff on many occasions, i even managed to get the guys repairing a lock to let me drive a mile down a gated track to drop my kit off as i turned up at the same time as them.

This is because the people doing maintenance etc don't give two about anything other than getting their task done and fair play to them. If it was privately run things would be a lot different.

I wouldn't mind paying £27 per rod if it saw my license checked, with bailiffs on 24hr call who actually turn up.

[gozzer]

I wouldn't mind paying £27 per rod if it saw my license checked, with bailiffs on 24hr call who actually turn up.

 

How about paying about £150+ per rod? That's about what it would cost to have the country covered the way you'd like it to be.

 

John.

[RelaxGod]

How about paying about £150+ per rod? That's about what it would cost to have the country covered the way you'd like it to be.

 

John.

 

Is that really how much it would cost to get the EA staff i have come across on the bank to ask to see my licence?

 

Say the 4 fisheries people in my area are working off the current £27 licence fee, its not going to take an extra £120 to get another 4 doing continental shifts is it?

[gozzer]

Is that really how much it would cost to get the EA staff i have come across on the bank to ask to see my licence?

 

Say the 4 fisheries people in my area are working off the current £27 licence fee, its not going to take an extra £120 to get another 4 doing continental shifts is it?

 

It's not just about the four in your area, it would have to be carried out nationwide. There are areas much bigger than your local one, and it would take many more staff to effectively cover it all. They would not just check licences, but be on call to cover illegal activity anywhere, any time, and have the vehicles, and equipment to enable them to do it.

 

john.

[MICK SMITH39]

I am out of work at the moment but I would think that £150 a year would be a small price to pay to have the E A on hand to stop what is happening here in the lea valley park, You join your chosen club , pay your money, go fishing and stick to the rules,then they turn up, in their hi vis jackets ,no permits ,no anything,what happens, NOTHING.

[RelaxGod]

It's not just about the four in your area, it would have to be carried out nationwide. There are areas much bigger than your local one, and it would take many more staff to effectively cover it all. They would not just check licences, but be on call to cover illegal activity anywhere, any time, and have the vehicles, and equipment to enable them to do it.

 

john.

 

IMHO very much doubt it would cost an extra 500% to get these tasks carried out, the fisheries team already have a lot of gear and managers etc and its done off the £27, also your not going to get groups of shall we say non english people in the yorkshire moors carting off sacks of bream and tench, it needs to be done where the main population are.

 

I was pretty annoyed when i turned up on the river on 15th to find out some EE's already fishing and had been down there all close season, they'd been reported many times by the bailiff apparently and no one had come to investigate, the bailiff even had their car reg. The EA had told the bailiff the guy who checks the locks would drive down and have a look, of course that was going to happen...

[Phone]

All,

 

I'm with gozzer.

 

My reasoning may be a bit more practical. I am the President of "they are just fish". Fish cops would be no more effective than "human" cops. We can't seem to stop crime at any price - can we? God points out the perps have been reported many times. That doesn't sound to promising does it?

 

You could have a few trophy waters - mox-nix. In general all fish would be put and take. For far fewer bucks you ultimately would pay for "fish cops) you could have a dozen hatcheries and a delivery system.

 

I believe you would find it soon would become just like the United States. We are 99% "catch and release". You know why? Because we are too lazy to tend to the fish after the capture and wouldn't eat them anyway. About a 50/50 chance they are toxic in one fashion or another.

 

Phone

[barry luxton]

off out today catching mackerel, they will be dead and deboned for the use of catching loads of lively conger eels, it's gonna be fun fun fun.

 

So sorry for you freshwater guys who love pointless legislation.

[Ken L]

Rod licence revenue is about £25m a year and while the EA seem rather reticent about how many enforcement officers they actually have (My father photographs them to prove to people that they exist), they do occasionally publish a few figures.

During the period from 1 April to 30 June 2013, EA enforcement officers visited 29 different river locations and 39 still waters in the North East from North Yorkshire up to Northumberland.

So, they visited a total of 68 venues in 91 days across the whole of their North East region - and that's when they're bragging about how tough they are.

That sounds like two part timers with a van to me.

Extrapolate that accross the EA's six English regions and you get a dozen part timers and six vans for the entire country, that's not a lot of enforcement on a £25m revenue stream.

[wotnobivvy]

Let's not forget that EA employees are not just there to check for licences and illegal fishing. They are not the servants of anglers alone. Sometimes I think we slag them off a bit too readily as they their name suggests they are responsible for the environment not just the fish in our rivers, canals and stillwaters.