Opposition: Regulation of Activities of Foreign Anglers

The GSLP/Liberals has urged the Gibraltar Government to implement fishing regulations for non-resident anglers to avoid over-fishing, the Gibraltar Chronicle wrote today, adding that the GSLP said, it has made respective requests in Parliament during recent years, but only received evasive answers.
The Opposition highlighted, that many locals have come to the GSLP with complaints over foreign anglers. The GSLP said, that some locals even were sent away from their angling spot, when a Spanish fishing club was holding a competition; the GSLP also gave the example of one non-resident, who used "28 fishing rods on the east-side reclamation area".

The GSLP was quoted in the Chronicle, saying that "it is totally unacceptable that such an important issue as protecting our fisheries should have been neglected for so long and that despite the obvious need to act, the Government should still be at the stage of studying the matter before deciding what to do. If they are not careful, before they make up their minds there will be no fish left!"

A Response to the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers?

A week ago, the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (GFSA) went public with its concerns over the lack of marine protection and fishing regulations despite 16 years of queries to the Government. Meanwhile, the GFSA said, the exploitation of the sea has become so excessive that immediate action was needed in order to save local marine biodiversity.

This public statement has received a positive public response by both political party PDP and our sister charity, the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS), which has campaigned for marine protection for more than a decade.
True, the Opposition does not refer to the GFSA. Yet, one could assume that the GSLP's statement might be inspired by the latest press releases regarding the exploitation of the sea.