STOP COARSE FISH FROM BEING TAKEN

CURRENT LAW:  Subject to bylaws and rules of controlled fisheries, the antiquated laws in England and Wales allow the removal of pike, grayling and all other coarse fish species (apart from eels) to be caught and taken by an angler for eating, subject to quantity and size.  

THE PROBLEM:

Laws are too complicated to be enforced effectively and the most publicly accessible fisheries, which are vital to the survival of angling, are rapidly being depleted of fish.  

The Environment Agency (EA) is unable to proactively enforce existing law and relies on occasional and poorly evidenced reports of incidents by other anglers.   

On controlled fisheries, the antiquated law provides an opportunity for pleading ignorance, when accused or charged with theft, including deliberate removal of protected eels or salmonoids.

River habitats are already reduced and depleted because of abstraction. The remaining water is damaged with pollution and poor flow, placing significant environmental pressure on the overall abundance and distribution of fish species, particularly predator species and those requiring oxygenated flowing water. 

Demand for taking these fish species has increased due to growing interest in foraging; cultural traditions of immigrants; and the impact of increasing living costs on food prices.  

The situation has become wholly unsustainable.  and is having a huge and visible impact on accessible or urban public fisheries, which in many cases are already devoid of certain fish species.  

This negatively effects new, young and economically disadvantaged recreational anglers.  It also negatively impacts the wider biodiversity and ecological make up of the river.  

The time to protect all coarse fish species from being removed as a food source is well overdue.  This cannot be achieved while species type, size and quantity need to be evidenced for effective prosecution by an already under resourced and dysfunctional Environment Agency.