A tax too far?
Anglers furious over fishing licence plans
They crave peace and quiet and the chance to leave the cares of the world behind. But Britain's four million anglers are about to get militant.
They are furious at proposals to make fishing from beaches and piers subject to a licence system, and determined to fight back against the perceived threat from animal rights activists.
High on their agenda is the government plan to introduce licences, expected to cost £25 a year for adults or £5 for children, for anyone fishing from a beach or a pier.
Ministers claim the licences will help manage fish stocks and say the fees could be used to improve conditions for the sport.
But anglers complain it is a stealth tax and will drive people away. They insist commercial fishing is the biggest threat to marine conservation, and argue that it will be prohibitively expensive to police all 2,500 miles of Britain's coastline.
The proposal, which would require everyone over the age of 12 who fishes in the sea with a rod and line to have a licence, has sparked a move to create a single body to speak for recreational fishing.
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Angling is Britain's largest participatory sport, but has traditionally been split into different interests, such as sea and inland angling or game and coarse fishing.
They crave peace and quiet and the chance to leave the cares of the world behind. But Britain's four million anglers are about to get militant.
They are furious at proposals to make fishing from beaches and piers subject to a licence system, and determined to fight back against the perceived threat from animal rights activists.
High on their agenda is the government plan to introduce licences, expected to cost £25 a year for adults or £5 for children, for anyone fishing from a beach or a pier.
Ministers claim the licences will help manage fish stocks and say the fees could be used to improve conditions for the sport.
But anglers complain it is a stealth tax and will drive people away. They insist commercial fishing is the biggest threat to marine conservation, and argue that it will be prohibitively expensive to police all 2,500 miles of Britain's coastline.
The proposal, which would require everyone over the age of 12 who fishes in the sea with a rod and line to have a licence, has sparked a move to create a single body to speak for recreational fishing.
advertisement
Angling is Britain's largest participatory sport, but has traditionally been split into different interests, such as sea and inland angling or game and coarse fishing.
did they mention privately owned fishing boats ?
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