Minister Responds to Fishing Petition

With the new fishing licencing laws, petitions are circulating protesting this new move. Below is the response from the Goverment Minister regarding these petitions.

We live in a democracy and people are entitled to their opinions.  

“However, I can only repeat the State Government’s position that expert researchers and other scientists have advised that certain fisheries are at risk unless urgent action is taken. 

“As Minister for Fisheries I do not resile from making it financially unattractive for anglers to go fishing for certain types of fish, like dhufish and baldchin groper.

 “Scientists have told me that stocks of these types of demersal fish are in danger of collapse. The whole point of the State Government’s action is to try and prevent so many of these fish from being caught and to ensure that there are enough to sustain the fishery for future generations of fishers. 

“The commercial sector has already slashed its take of these types of fish by 50 per cent. It is only fair that recreational fishers now do the same

“In relation to other fishing fees, once again I repeat that the decision to charge higher fees gives me no pleasure. 

“The fees are designed to enable those people who make greatest use of the resource to make a proportionately greater contribution to the management of that resource – which ultimately is funded by the taxpayer, many of whom do not fish.