“LUDICROUS” EU proposals to regulate recreational sea angling could cost the Scottish economy millions of pounds in revenue, it has been claimed.

Ian Burrett, of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN), says the new rules being considered by EU Commissioners could destroy sea angling and have a huge impact on livelihoods.

Known as EU Article 47, the regulations would require people who go sea angling as a hobby to pay for a licence, be subject to a quota and bag limits and fill in catch returns in log- books. In addition, catch and release will be banned.

They would also mean EU states would have to allocate a quota for recreational anglers and this would be deducted from national fishing quotas.

Scots MEPs have received hundreds of Emails from angry fisherman calling for the recommendations to be overturned.

However, Mr Burrett said the commissioners are determined to press ahead with their plan rapidly.

The rules had been drafted in response to problems caused by recreational sea angling in Europe, such as in France where tuna stocks are dwindling, but that applying them in the UK would cause serious socio-economic problems.

“We are not saying we should not be controlled by Europe because we want well-run recreational fisheries and we need to be under government control. But they are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. We are against it because there is no data to back up any of the assumptions made.”

Introducing licences for sea anglers in Portugal two years ago saw numbers of participants drop 50% and many tackle dealers go bust.

Mr Burrett fears imposing so many new rules on the UK’s 1.2 million sea anglers would endanger the industry and have a knock-on effect on charter companies, skippers, cafe owners, hoteliers and other recreation and tourism businesses.

“To put many people out of work to save a few fish is ludicrous but whether it can be overturned I don’t know,” he said. “Sea angling is very, very important to the economy and the government is only just starting to appreciate that.

“But people will get fed up if there is, say, an 11lb quota because it means if someone catches an 11lb fish first cast they might as well pack up and go home.

“There will also be a ban on catch and release which causes no problems to the fish, but the Germans have banned it recently because they consider it barbaric.

“To impose severe restrictions on a £10 billion industry, and particularly with the economic downturn, without any studies into the effects it could have on that industry is, in our opinion, pure folly.”

A Fife angler also called the plans ludicrous but was not very surprised.

“Recent economic studies have shown recreational sea angling adds considerably more value to the economy than commercial fish catching these days, so it’s no surprise European politicians have their eyes on the prize in the form of a licence fee,” he said.

“But as VAT is already paid on all sporting goods, why is there any need to pay again? The idea of adding such levels of bureaucracy to an amateur, escapist hobby is ludicrous.

“Would amateur footballers agree to tot up corners, fouls and throw-ins, then send this to the association secretary for submission to the EU? Or having to abandon the match and go home once three goals have been scored?

“What is being proposed is no less silly.”

The SSACN is liaising with MEP Struan Stevenson, who is heading the drive to overturn the proposals.

His Email address is struan.stevenson@europarl.europa.eu