Tags, Just when you thought it was safe to come ou
21/10/2008
The Loughs Agency have put out
a 'Consultation 'document re the tagging of
salmon and seatrout carcasses. They are proposing
the angler pays £8 for each one and that the
netsmen pay only £3 for each one. The three
options the Loughs Agency(LA) have given is that
we do nothing (which I can't see happening) ,an
increase in the licence fee of at least 4 times
the current price or a tax on the tags. We as a
club have put together a petition of approx 700
signatures to oppose the tax on the tags. This is
supposedly aimed at increasing the logbook
returns
but it is widely known that the 'anglers' who are
abusing the system as it stands with the tags
being free will continue to abuse the system and
in October of next year if the charges are
implimented then the LA will become like a bank
and have to start refunding enmasse all the money
they lifted with still no idea of how many salmon
have really been caught.
Keep an eye out in the tackle shops shortly for
ways to continue this unfair tax on salmon
anglers. It can not be policed as it is ,how will
the LA police it when the tags are been charged
for. The Club is in meetings with FASTA to put
out a concerted effort to fight this draconian
measure into which very little thought has been
given. I will keep you posted.
