Sea fishing license?

[SandStorm]

Hi guys, just a quick question, has the recreational fishing license been a good or a bad thing in your opinions? what is the money collected used for?

They are thinking about bringing in a license over here in the UK, many fisho's are for it, but plenty are against it.

Just interested in your views...

Cheers

SandStorm

[aussiefool]

For me I think it is a great thing.At first there were loop holes that some people used to make a quick buck, but they have now been closed.From what I have seem and heard the long term results have been positive. One example that I can give is Lake Macquarie in NSW.When I was a boy you could go out to the lake and always catch a feed of fish from the shore or boat, as a adult you were lucky to catch one legal fish let alone a feed for the family, ( Pro netters had cleaned the place out). Now I hear regular catches of good sized fish being taken by rec. anglers and species of fish that have not been seen for a many a year.

So over all as long as any money raised goes to the fishing body and not just into consolidated revenue then I will always support a user pay system
Aussiefool
Andrew

[TimiBoy]

The Government funds (or should fund) most Angling issues.

The License generates money for some of those issues, while the Government says it will fund the others.

Then the Government says "look, they've got the money, they can fund other things".

Thus, you pay when the Government should.

Cheers,

Tim

[yellowbeard]

It's an issue where you can win some friends and influence some people and really piss-off the rest. If you say that the trawlers and their netting was always the problem, of course you offend the generations of fishermen who made their living that way.
In a simplistic way the NSW State Government painted the picture that if we all pitched in a bought a fishing licence that we would all catch more fish and save the planet. They didn't mention in their campaign that Australia exports in excess of $1.5 billion worth of seafood every year. So our governments are selling off our fish and seafood to the highest bidders including those companies that produce the billions of dollars of cat-food that ol' puss scoffs down nightly.

Then you can look at the licence as a tax, just like any other tax. The Sydney Harbour Bridge still has a toll, which was only supposed to pay for the construction of the bridge -- which was completed in 1932! They paid it off 20 years ago but kept the toll, which gets increased every year.

I personally wouldn't get into the politics. When a government asks you for money it's just another tax you can do without.

[PinHead]

User Pays..that is just another way of saying rip off the taxpayer. We already pay via existing taxes...but I guess the Uk may be like us..just numb down the average man until he can take no more and refuses to fight..already happened here...I wonder whatever happened to the Aussies that would stand and fight for what they believed in..gone into history now..Govts have brow beaten them into submission. So many willing to just sit back at a talk fest and then reach a compromise...compromise is for those that don't believe in standing for their principles.

Fihsing license = tax..if you want more taxes then accept it.

[deepfried]

A couple of the comments above should have a disclaimer stating that they are from a state that has no licence. dont know how they can then comment as i doubt they fish often in a state that has a licence system. I guess some know everything though.
Mate i have played rugby as well as a heap of other sports and we paid our fees that went into maintaining our field and paid all other costs for the club, i dont see fishing any differently. Its a sport that can benefit from extra funding via a licence, which in my area has resulted in real gains. I am happy to pay it. We can go through the same old arguements again like the gov should fund it but hey they dont. If you cant afford $30 a year something is wrong, its not a big amount.

Edit : didnt answer your question on some of the things that the money is spent on. I can only say what i am aware of in my area and what has been in the press as i dont spend hours trolling through the net looking for info.

Locally we have had jew fish restocking, new cleaning tables and pontoons at the ramp, improvements to our catchment, fish ladders for an endangered species ( Eastern Cod, which has or will soon be a catch and release fish after being a no take species ), breeding programs for eastern cod and habitat improvements, pro licence buyouts and the establishment of rec fishing havens.

[TimiBoy]

A couple of the comments above should have a disclaimer stating that they are from a state that has no licence. dont know how they can then comment as i doubt they fish often in a state that has a licence system. I guess some know everything though.
Mate i have played rugby as well as a heap of other sports and we paid our fees that went into maintaining our field and paid all other costs for the club, i dont see fishing any differently. Its a sport that can benefit from extra funding via a licence, which in my area has resulted in real gains. I am happy to pay it. We can go through the same old arguements again like the gov should fund it but hey they dont. If you cant afford $30 a year something is wrong, its not a big amount.

Edit : didnt answer your question on some of the things that the money is spent on. I can only say what i am aware of in my area and what has been in the press as i dont spend hours trolling through the net looking for info.

Locally we have had jew fish restocking, new cleaning tables and pontoons at the ramp, improvements to our catchment, fish ladders for an endangered species ( Eastern Cod, which has or will soon be a catch and release fish after being a no take species ), breeding programs for eastern cod and habitat improvements, pro licence buyouts and the establishment of rec fishing havens.

Don't forget the lovely trips to meetings your Executives get, the fascinating (and utterly overpriced) research your funds get used for, and the Fisheries Inspectors YOU pay for...

Cheers,

Tim

[PinHead]

deepfried..do you pay a levy on your boat registration which was introduced to do what your fishing license is supposed to do? We do in Qld so why should we pay more. We want the Govt to use those funds correctly not tax us more.

[SandStorm]

Thanks chaps your comments are very interesting...........

[deepfried]

Don't forget the lovely trips to meetings your Executives get, the fascinating (and utterly overpriced) research your funds get used for, and the Fisheries Inspectors YOU pay for...

Cheers,

Tim

So from your experience paying a fishing licence ( not ) you think that research that brings a fish back from being highly endangered to being a catch and release prospect isnt worth it. I am sure that more outcomes like this will occur over time.

As for fisheries inspectors you must have enough up in Qld without a licence