The European Commission is proposing to include recreational fishing in the Common Fisheries Policy. This means that sea anglers will be forced to keep records of all fish they catch. All boats which are used to catch fish, even if only once a year, will have to be registered as fishing vessels under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Due to the Common Fisheries Policy, over TWO million tonnes of fish are thrown back into the sea every year because they are over quota, the wrong species or are simply not worth enough money when sold. Recreational fishing is not the cause of failing fish stocks and shouldn't be targeted as such.

We therefore call on the European Commission to leave recreational fishing well alone and to concentrate on widespread reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. We also call on the British government to stand up to the Commission and not to cave into these demands, which will affect over 1 million anglers in the UK and which threatens the viability and future of the sport itself.