E. European plunder

I just returned from my county of origin, Lincolnshire, where the press will report considerable unrest between the locals and the incoming workers. The owner of a local tackle shop on the river bank stated the problem was negligible. He featured signs in a number of languages throughout the shop stating the rules of the local day ticket purchases etc. What a positive outlook, shame it can't be shared.

This is a problem not restricted to the UK.
Here in New Zealand we are grappling with similar problems. In conjunction with Eastern Europeans we also have ethnic Chinese and other asian cultures that fish soley for the table. They do not understand the licencing regime nor the catch and release ideology, to them that is an anathema as they only understand that fish are food and free food at that.
That is OK with game fishing for trout and salmon where it is normal to take fish for the table up to the limit but when it comes to coarse fish specially stocked in certain waters Oh boy! is there trouble.
Education is the answer, we have ongoing dialog with Russian speakers which is making real progress but with Chinese, Cambodian, Vietminanese, etc we have a real problem.Language being the real barrier to be overcome. If Asian anglers all bought licences the number of anglers would double statistically overnight and real progress might be made to accomodate coarse fishing as a major sport here in NZ.
Old Chinese proverb: "Softly softly, slowely slowley catchee monkey" and tell them where the best trout waters are!

I work at factory in Lincolnshire and have had a run in with one guy who regularly takes his catch home , have told him we dont do it and he just gives you I dont understand sign , which is great except the word for overtime must be the same in Polish as English coz he understands that . Its a shame coz all the other Poles are ok and have even explained it to him in Polish but its just a case of I do it at home so will do it here . Signs in multi cultural languages are great but some will just take no notice

This came from a Press Association press release (I believe) which quoted an EA fisheries officer. Head office later announced that he was wrong to say they would be calling for new laws.
Or that's my understanding at least.

greg,could you leave me an e-mail contact address for your self....there are certain reports of immigrant fishing incidents that i have heard first hand from people involved etc...that may be of intrest to yourself/angling times.

e-mail me at nick01536@yahoo.co.uk

I bailiff three Essex waters,on one seven geese were taken last year by Polish anglers.they were also seen cutting up ,(to share),carp on the banks.Police were called one evening when they were seen putting fish in back of car,(this after I'd alerted local police to the problem),immigrants told police they'd bought the fish from shop and they were allowed to go on their way.We have now imposed a ban on Polish anglers on this water.At another water nearby a common carp was found dead in the road,we presume it fell out of bag whilst being transported at night.Bailiffs and owners of other local waters are all encountering similar problems.