From K de la Haye
THE introduction of the proposed bag limits law for recreational fishermen is punitive and ill-conceived and will add a thoroughly bad law to the statute book.

It will adversely affect all law-abiding amateur and recreational fishermen for no reason other than to stop the illegal sales of ‘black fish’ – those caught and sold by amateur fishermen without the appropriate licence.

A law already exists prohibiting the sale of fish without a licence. A new law will duplicate this law, which at present is obviously not being enforced effectively.
Its introduction is promoted by a Fisheries Panel which consists largely of members with vested interests.

The report supporting the proposed law is a hotchpotch of ideas combined to try to justify its introduction. It makes assumptions and presents them as factual without providing any evidence, such as:
• It will increase angling tourism.
•  It will mean no increase in manpower resources.
•  The majority of recreational fishermen would support the introduction of bag limits.
Using their current policing practices, the Fisheries department seem unable to apprehend these lawbreakers.

I suggest that rather than boarding small boats or examining catches on the beach, they should introduce a more effective strategy based on intelligence, research, targeting suspects and risk assessment, instead of what appears to be the current random, casual and very expensive operation.

Under the new law, any recreational fisherman holding a barbecue or dinner-party for a total of six people will be unable to legally provide six fresh lobsters from a live store pot caught during the preceding week or so.

The new regulation 6 states that a person who is guilty of an offence under this law shall be liable to a fine of £20,000. The law, as drafted, allows no latitude for leniency, dependant on the gravity of the infringement. I suspect and hope that this is an error. However, the upper penalty ceiling seems grossly disproportionate to any such offence when compared with the penalties for other offences.

The introduction of this law will do absolutely nothing to solve the problem of the sales of ‘black’ fish. Law-breakers (or the ‘unscrupulous’, as the report describes them), will break the new law as they have broken the existing law.

The report clearly and most importantly acknowledges that the new law’s purpose is not the conservation of fish stocks. Undisputedly, licensed professional fishermen make the greatest impact on the local stocks of bass, lobster and scallops. Fishing licences can still be purchased and new vessels added to the local professional fishing fleet without any local control.

Most recreational fishermen are responsible and law-abiding and their activities have a very minor impact on fish stocks. The introduction of this draconian law will harshly and unnecessarily penalise them all.
2 La Houguette Apartments,
Rue des Prés,
Grouville.