Should you need a license to fish on a beach?

[ddrider]

freshwater too

[scottish_and_mental]

no papers for fishing in the sea . they cant enforce it -we aint gonna pay it either way
beach - free - boat - free

[weedcatcher]

i dont think they can enforce licensed fishing at shore work.
I read in the sea angler an article relating to this in a sense something in the Magna Carta gives us lawfull means to fish between high and low water marks or something along those lines.
Anyone interested il dig it up.

[Salisbury Nick]

On that subject, is every beach public between high and low watermarks?

[Tonyt]

Originally Posted by weedcatcher

i dont think they can enforce licensed fishing at shore work.
I read in the sea angler an article relating to this in a sense something in the Magna Carta gives us lawfull means to fish between high and low water marks or something along those lines.
Anyone interested il dig it up.

This is perfectly correct. However there are three estuaries you have to have permission to fish for sea fish, one is the Arun where you need to ask the permission of the Duke of Norfolk. They were excluded in the Magna Carta as they already had the rights given to them. I believe the Duke will give his permission if asked.
You do however need a river/fresh water - non sea trout - licence to fish for eels. I have checked this out with the new Fishing Forum authorities. So I have reluctantly bought one. I suggested that the authorities need to have descretion when checking for eels on the likes of Brighton Marina to avoid unpleasantness. I heard an angler was prosecuted there for catching undersize fish to livebait for bass.
I personally believe that sea anglers are an essential part of the sports economy and insisting on licences will only help to ruin that economy.

[dave fish]

well it looks like a can of worms has been opened here (excuse the pun)but like my dad says opinions are like ar**holes everybody has one ,
so here we go
i think a license for beach/sea fishing is stupid it cant be enforced so whats the point like course fishing they cant even enforce whos fishing without a license so we know it wont work,but as a course angler it does annoy me how sea anglers get to fish for free and get to take fish with no charge where as we have to catch and release.
maybe a small toll booth on the beach where you still fish for free but pay a small fee for fish you take i know this will also be hard to enforce but there must be a way of gathering a small revenue from sea anglers. now i know that all you sea anglers will not agree because you in fishing terms have the life of riley fish for free and take fish for the pot without charge matye if you paid a fee the beaches would be cleaned and free from litter also it would pay for baillifs to patrol these routes would it not?

[Tonyt]

Regarding fishing for eels as mentioned previously. I have just read in the latest literature from the Angling Trust that all anglers have to return eels when caught. Having bought a licence for that purpose I have clealy wasted my money. Commercial removal of eels does however continue, how stupid is that.
Why the heck the Trust could not have pointed this out when I wrote to them about sea anglers and the need for a licence amazes me. The NFSA was much more clued up body.
I will not be buying a licence next year and the Trust had better pull up it's socks if I'm going to renew there.