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Fishermen furious over Brussels 'red tape'
THERE could soon be a catch to Fylde coast fishermen's catch.
Now people pleasure fishing from beaches, piers or even kayaks could be forced to tell Brussels bureaucrats exactly what they have caught.
Fylde coast fisherman have branded the proposals as
"ludicrous", and claim red-tape will ruin their hobby.
The plans, announced by the European Commission, include measures to ensure all recreational boats are registered and the fish anglers catch included in the annual quota allocated to the UK fleet.
If fishermen go over their quota – which will be set nationally if the UK agrees to the move – they could land themselves a 50,000 fine.
Grant Duckworth, secretary of the Blackpool Boat Angling Club, said: "This is a ludicrous idea in an attempt to ruin what many people do on the Fylde everyday.
"It's not as if we catch anywhere near as many fish as the trawlers do. Some trawlers even dump half their catch back into the sea and they want to charge us for a few fish.
"We are not doing this for a living, we are doing this for fun and they want to impose a law they will not be able to police."
A spokesman for the European Commission said: "The impact of recreational fishing is real.
"Studies show that in certain countries the recreational fishing industry can catch as much as 50 per cent of the national quota over and above what is taken by the commercial fishery."
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Weather for Blackpool
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
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