yes Ron, true enough, a specimen is a specimen, which should be judged on other factors, but we are looking at a 'record' of the highest weight of a certain fish, not whether it's a specimen or not.
Highest recorded weights should be noted, but they should be correct.
The DNA profiles should be benchmarked, all record fish should be retained and a representative from the BRFC should attend and take a sample (swab, scale etc).
With the proliferation of mobile phones, then everybody should be able to get hold of a contact somehow.
The benchmarking should be completed by a noted and professional source
(not Alwyn 'it's a crucian, no it's a goldfish, no it's a crucian, oh maybe it's a hybrid' Wheeler)
and future fish should be merited against those benchmarks.
Sounds easy enough, but does anybody in power actually want the change?
Do the majority of anglers actually care about record fish?
A vote on here, of mostly dedicated and specialist anglers of adding 10 pence to the rod licence to fund this would probably only just get a majority vote.
Add in the hundreds of thousands of puddle fishers and occasional anglers, who aren't effected by this, then the answer would be a resounding no.