An anglerfish concerned at having to record his catch.
I like fishing. I don’t do this catch and release stuff because I like to eat fish. Naturally I don’t go out at the moment because I don’t fancy cutting a hole in the ice and huddling over it, and since fish are cold-blooded they can’t currently swim fast enough to catch a lure. When it warms up a bit, I’ll be out there.
At fisheries, I have to record the catch. That’s so they know the stock level of the ponds, and it’s fair enough. Any inland fishery in Scotland requires a permit unless you’re fishing for wild brown trout. Sea fishing is free (boat hire excepted).
Not for long. It seems the EU, not content with pricing trawlermen out of work, now seeks to do the same to those little boatloads of anglers. No more catch and release. No more putting back the tiddlers alive. Every fish caught must be kept and recorded, and if you don’t have the proper permits before you go, an EU fishing patrol boat will sink you and release a shoal of starved guppies into the water. The catch will count towards the national quota.
More tax. More paperwork. More fines. More new crimes.
For fishing. This one is going to go down a storm in the local pub. They aren’t interested in politics but they do love their fishing trips. Don’t forget to mention it to any anglers you know. Oh, and remember, this isn’t some Daily Mail shriekfest. The link goes to an MEP who was there, and who heard it for himself.
Next up, erosion charges for rock climbers and air displacement permits for hanggliders. Won’t be long before you have to show your breathing licence and God help you if it’s out of date.
Everything must be regulated, because freedom is slavery.