I
Ian Cloke
Guest
MOVES aimed at regulating or restricting anglers? catches on charter vessels fishing in local waters have caused uproar in the UK.
And if proposals come to fruition, it could decimate business in Alderney, warns a UK charter skipper.
Paul Whittall, who has been chartering trips off the island for 25 years, was horrified at the potential impact if proposals to regulate the burgeoning sector were approved.
There have been major concerns in the UK regarding accusations about fishing activity earlier this year.
?It has caused a massive outcry and there is a real genuine anger and dismay at accusations that 90% of catches by chartered vessels are illegal,? said Mr Whittall.
?These proposals seem to have come as a result of these accusations. It?s as if you are guilty and you will be punished. That is the feeling among the anglers.?
Interested parties in the UK, Guernsey and Alderney were currently discussing the moves, which were mooted in a consultative document, with meetings taking place across the British Isles.
Sea Fisheries is proposing a total catch allowance on charter trip vessels ? with a seven-person one being permitted to retain on board a maximum of 14 of seven different species at any one time.
?The proposals are so incredibly serious that there has to be a lot of discussion on this. If that is implemented, you could kiss goodbye to a lot of businesses in Alderney,? said Mr Whittall.
?There is a genuine feeling of real disappointment and fear. They will lose a massive amount of their business.
?Those proposals, if they went in as they stand, would be far too extreme,? he said.
He already has 25 trips booked to Alderney next year, which is tied in with him providing ?27,000-worth of accommodation for businesses in the island, and if the proposals were approved, he would be forced to cancel them.
Trade could collapse for businesses which have relied on these trips for more than 20 years, he believed.
?Charter skippers are only here to do what their customers want. The anglers would not wish to fish under that limit and would say it?s not workable. It would not be worthwhile coming.
?The charter skippers will just stay at home, but the businesses in Alderney will really suffer,? he said.
To be able to go from whatever you want to do to the proposals, which would be so restrictive, would be such a massive jump,? he believed.
The deadline for consultation is understood to have already been extended from 13 October to 30 November.
?Serious decisions about this have to take place and there has to be a sensible agreement where nobody is penalised,? he said.
Mr Whittall said he had every sympathy for the commercial sector ? having been involved with it but making the decision to go into the recreational sector.
?There is massive pressure and I can quite understand their concerns. I think the recreational anglers would not want to do anything to jeopardise livelihoods.?
And if proposals come to fruition, it could decimate business in Alderney, warns a UK charter skipper.
Paul Whittall, who has been chartering trips off the island for 25 years, was horrified at the potential impact if proposals to regulate the burgeoning sector were approved.
There have been major concerns in the UK regarding accusations about fishing activity earlier this year.
?It has caused a massive outcry and there is a real genuine anger and dismay at accusations that 90% of catches by chartered vessels are illegal,? said Mr Whittall.
?These proposals seem to have come as a result of these accusations. It?s as if you are guilty and you will be punished. That is the feeling among the anglers.?
Interested parties in the UK, Guernsey and Alderney were currently discussing the moves, which were mooted in a consultative document, with meetings taking place across the British Isles.
Sea Fisheries is proposing a total catch allowance on charter trip vessels ? with a seven-person one being permitted to retain on board a maximum of 14 of seven different species at any one time.
?The proposals are so incredibly serious that there has to be a lot of discussion on this. If that is implemented, you could kiss goodbye to a lot of businesses in Alderney,? said Mr Whittall.
?There is a genuine feeling of real disappointment and fear. They will lose a massive amount of their business.
?Those proposals, if they went in as they stand, would be far too extreme,? he said.
He already has 25 trips booked to Alderney next year, which is tied in with him providing ?27,000-worth of accommodation for businesses in the island, and if the proposals were approved, he would be forced to cancel them.
Trade could collapse for businesses which have relied on these trips for more than 20 years, he believed.
?Charter skippers are only here to do what their customers want. The anglers would not wish to fish under that limit and would say it?s not workable. It would not be worthwhile coming.
?The charter skippers will just stay at home, but the businesses in Alderney will really suffer,? he said.
To be able to go from whatever you want to do to the proposals, which would be so restrictive, would be such a massive jump,? he believed.
The deadline for consultation is understood to have already been extended from 13 October to 30 November.
?Serious decisions about this have to take place and there has to be a sensible agreement where nobody is penalised,? he said.
Mr Whittall said he had every sympathy for the commercial sector ? having been involved with it but making the decision to go into the recreational sector.
?There is massive pressure and I can quite understand their concerns. I think the recreational anglers would not want to do anything to jeopardise livelihoods.?