[Mike Barrio]

Don't know if you'll find this interesting: But when the Spanish government decided that they wanted to pass a new law to make it illegal to Catch & Release species like Carp because they now think they are invasive and not natural to Spain ...... a few Spanish anglers made their feelings known in Madrid at the weekend 







[facebook]https://www.facebook.com/iberaliatv/videos/507084836165741/[/facebook]

[Rob Brownfield]

The Ebro alone attracts anglers from all over the world to try and catch its Carp and Wels Catfish. It was something like 50 million Euros worth of business last year. No wonder folk are a bit upset.

Meanwhile in Scotland, some folk are upset that they have to return Salmon 

[Marc Fauvet]

don't know the details but i strongly suspect all those people aren't fishers but the organizers managed to enrole environmental activist groups and probably opposing political groups to rally their cause.
thats smart and that's the way to get things done... 

[Mike Barrio]

It sure was a big protest march, official data puts the numbers at 80 thousand and the organisers claimed an attendance of closer to 150 thousand ........ pity anglers can't get together like that in the UK!

Imagine 100 thousand anglers ( and associated tourism businesses ) marching on the Scottish Parliament, instead of a few trying to fill in predetermined slots in an online 'consultation'

http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2016-06-08/pescadores-catalogo-especies-invasoras_1213507/#

[Mike Barrio]

So ..... the Scottish Government ( Wild Fish Reform Bill ) wants to make it an offence to fish in any location without the relevant fishing permit or written permission.

I have yet to meet an angler that is not willing and happy to pay for their fishing ....... but where do you pay or get that permission from? It can be easy enough to find that out when it is a prime salmon beat and the same could be said for a limited number of beats on the more popular trout rivers, but Scotland is covered in lochs and rivers and it can be very difficult, if not impossible on a very high percentage of these, to find out anything about them and where to get a permit or permission from!

How can the Scottish Government make it an offence to fish somewhere without permission, without making it clear where you should get that permission from? ....... In my humble opinion, such a move should require the publication and maintenance by the Scottish Government of a full database of all Scottish rivers and lochs, with full details of where each and every permit or permission should be purchased or requested.

The Scottish Government should be building the Scottish Tourism Industry ......... not killing it.

[Magnus Angus]

Mike, you're pointing out subtle and maybe not helpful changes to the current 'rules'...
http://www.fishingnet.com/misc/law.htm

Where they seem to be going is all waters will be like those which now are covered by Protection Orders - where it's a criminal offence to fish without permission.

As usual with these things it'll be down to how new laws are handled by the police and Procurator Fiscal.

[Mike Barrio]

Good point Magnus

A problem that I see with this, is that currently,  in order to benefit from a protection order ( and therefore make it a criminal offence to fish ) each individual fishing beat must comply by ensuring that the information about how and where to obtain a fishing permit or written permission to fish is easily  available to anglers ........ and in the case of trout fishing, at a reasonable cost.

Is it not reasonable to suggest that such changes should require the same compliance from the managers of each water on a national level in order to maintain open access?

[Magnus Angus]

Hi  Mike

As far as I know there is nothing in the existing rules that says each beat has to make fishing available, or offer trout fishing at reasonable cost.  I think the interpretation is that there should be some affordable trout fishing in the water covered by the Order. Surprisingly few rivers are covered by Protection Orders at the moment http://www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/1063/0079250.pdf 

I thought there was something in the new rules about access?

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Magnus,

The Scottish Government had to be satisfied with the availability of fishing access at the time of granting the River Don Protection Order and this was to be monitored on an ongoing basis. Basically beats had to satisfy reasonable fishing access before in return benefiting from any protection. I used to have a copy of the order, but that was 26 years ago now, although I'm sure I would still have it somewhere in the loft.

This was why the River Don Brown Trout Improvement Association was set up, it was the association's job to supervise and implement the measures laid down under the Brown Trout Protection Order granted to the River Don in 1990 and report back to the Government on an ongoing basis.
Some elements of the original remit can still be seen here http://www.riverdon.org/rdbtiaindex.html

The protection order was not all about protecting or improving brown trout fishing by the way , it was more about protecting the river from the poaching of all species

[Mike Barrio]

Until we see what actually comes out of the consultation / review and what the new rules are ........ this is all 'pie in the sky'

Access was an issue covered in previous POs by the Scottish Executive, I'm sure this will continue to be the case.

[Paul Rankine]

Hi Mike,
                    The new  Spanish law seeks to have every carp caught killed , hence the large Environmental turnout. As you may know the Spaniards are considerably more demonstrative than us door Scots. ;-)   Can't see it being passed and anyhow ,how would they enforce it throughout Spain (and the Canaries ) . In the latter case Carp were introduced into the embalses to keep the mosquito larvae population down , ie as an environmental  control measure !  Not going to happen anytime soon if ever.   You are right though , I wonder if there would be the same response in Scotland to  well, anything environmental really .