Government U-Turn On Sea Angling Licence - 19/03/2008

Conservatives Shadow Fisheries Minister Bill Wiggin MP has welcomed the news that the Government is scrapping its plans to introduce a recreational sea angling licence in the forthcoming Marine Bill, but expressed concern that charges could still be introduced through the Recreational Sea Angling Strategy. Bill Wiggin, who had previously tabled a Parliamentary Early Day Motion opposing the licence, said:

"I have always opposed this measure and had the sea angling licence been introduced as proposed in the Marine Bill then the impact on our anglers, the economy and environment would have been devastating. However, we should remember that the Government has not ruled out introducing licensing charges, which still loom over the sea angling community as they were also proposed in the Recreational Sea Angling Strategy. While I hope that Government have now given into pressure from the nation’s sea anglers and scrapped their plans, this may just be yet another example of the Government paying lip service to the nation’s anglers."

Bill Wiggin also criticised the Government for its poor, inconsistent and incompetent track record on angling. He added:

"In recent years sea anglers have been taken for a ride by the Labour Government and it will take a lot more than the apparent u-turn on licensing charges for the Government to rebuild that trust. Anglers know that ministers have made many promises before, like on a bass minimum landing size, but have delivered nothing."

"While we will all have to wait and see what the Government does now to help sea anglers, improvements to sea angling should have been made long ago but instead there has been endless dither and delay. Just like Labour’s Charter for Angling and Net Benefits, Defra’s Recreational Sea Angling Strategy will not be worth the paper it is written on."

"It is also disappointing that the Government has wasted its time on these proposals. Instead, it should have been pressing the Marine Bill, which has been delayed for over two years, forward and ensuring that measures such as marine protected areas are introduced as soon as possible so that all sea users can benefit."