Info posted by Chris Hughes a while back:
OK this is how it goes :-
The rules of fishing are governed by byelaws set out by your local fisheries committee. These apply regardless of the method you are using to catch fish, that is, they apply to the biggest factory ship / ocean going trawlers and the local kid using his or her \"Scooby Do\" kids rod off the end of the pier with grandad looking on.
Up here in the North of England the fisheries Committees are as follows :-
North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee
http://www.neseafish.gov.uk/
Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee
http://www.nsfc.org.uk/230503/Index2.htm
North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee
http://www.nwnwsfc.org/
Cumbria Sea Fisheries Committee - No web site
These organisations publish their byelaws and where they have a web site they are usually available online.
Now the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee and Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee have seen fit to prohibit the use of any part of an edible crab (except for offal - that\'s lungs and guts) for bait within their areas.
On the other hand, North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee and Cumbria Sea Fisheries Committee (from memory as I don\'t have their byelaws in front of me) allow the use of edible crab for bait, but they must still meet the size limit for the species.
The penalties for the infringement of the byelaws can be very expensive. From memory, I think it up to £5000 per offence
The bottom line on this is that we have a scenario where the rules are inconsistent through out the land and in my opinion unreasonable where rod and line shore fishing is concerned. But the rules are the rules and the only way that these may change for the rod and line fisherman is through greater representation in the bodies who make the rules, sea fishing rod licensing may give us that, if they ever get introduced. In the meantime, if you feel strongly about the use of edible crab for bait, try writing to you local councilor who should channel the correspondence to the councilors who sit on the panel of the fisheries committee, that way the byelaws could be amended to accommodate the leisure fisherman. Remember that these bodies are public bodies financed by the tax payer, they are accountable to the public and by public pressure can be manipulated to deliver what the public want. The caveat here, is that you may have to hold your breath for a while, while you knock on the doors of bureaucracy.
