Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (GFSA) Urge For Marine Protection

In the Gibraltar Chronicle the Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (GFSA) today voiced its frustration regarding lack of marine protection and fishing regulations despite 16 years of queries to the Government. It argues that something has to be done immediately to avoid the "destruction and decimation of all marine life".

During an extraordinary General Meeting of the GFSA held last week – attended by most local fishing clubs and individual anglers – the federation decided to go public. The GSPA said in the Chronicle, it has developed a comprehensive list of urgently needed implementations regarding "regulation, control and protection" which it has already submitted to Government on various occasions. It now asks the public to sign a petition trying to enforce new regulations as "doing nothing is no longer an option."

From the article: "... unscrupulous anglers, many who come to Gibraltar from Spain ... rape the coastline and the seas around it killing everything they catch ... The inevitable result of these activities is the destruction and decimation of all marine life around Gibraltar's coast line and within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters ... Every single type of edible anemone, plant life, crustacean, shell fish and other marine life is being taken from the sea bed. The seas close to the shore line are being left completely bare and bereft of any life and the Federation has documentary evidence of this. This destruction extends to species like the spider crab which is protected in Gibraltar but unfortunately the pertinent authorities do nothing and in many instances are unable to or unwilling to do anything ... Responsible anglers in Gibraltar are calling on the Government to show leadership where this issue is concerned and to act now before it is too late."