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Foreign Regulations

Our January 2003 contribution from Jon Beer

Many years ago, when the internet was just half-a-dozen baldy blokes talking to each other with computers the size of refrigerators, I had a yen to catch trout in every land where trout could be caught. But there was a problem: I could only speak English and the sort of French they used to teach us in school - which is quite good for talking to French teachers but quite useless anywhere else. And then, in the local library one day, I came across a free introductory lesson to Esperanto. It was the perfect solution: I would wander my cosmopolitan way across the boundaries of the world, engaging in bright and improving conversations about "trutoj" (trout), "musoj" (flies) and "fiskanoj" (fishing-rods) with like-minded "fisistoj" (fishermen) beside sparkling "riveroj" (rivers - getting the hang of it?).

I had high hopes of Esperanto. It is remarkably easy to learn and after a few correspondence lessons I thought I knew enough to ask the questions I needed: “Do I need a licence to fish here?”, “Where can I buy a licence?”, “what are the regulations on this fishery?” and so on - the sort of questions that keep you out of jail while fishing foreign waters. Also, I was reasonably confident I might understand the answers. But it turns out there is a snag with Esperanto: no-one else speaks the stuff. And so, for years, I have muddled my way through with sign language, bits of franglais and talking loud. I am not sure how much I got right: I have been shouted at from time to time but I have never been arrested.

So far. This spring I am determined to catch a trout in the mountains of Greece but I haven’t been able to discover what hoops I must jump through. The trouble with a nation’s fishing laws and regulations is that they are absorbed through the skin. We learn them as children and then forget we have learnt them: they have just always been there. It can be a shock to discover just how differently another nation may do things. So look: why don’t we compile a database of national fishing regulations, you and I?

I once found something of the sort on a German website but it has disappeared or I have lost it or something. Also, it wasn’t terribly clear on some points. Perhaps there are others – there should be – but it cannot be beyond us to construct one here at Fish & Fly. I have been toying with a questionnaire so that the regulations from each country can be compared and to try and make sure nothing is missed. It is beginning to look like a form from the Inland Revenue.

But here it is. I would be undyingly grateful to anyone who has a working knowledge of the fishing in countries outside the UK and can be fagged to write to me. (Particularly if you know what I will need in Greece.)

You may be put off by the unsettling conviction that a billion others may have already submitted stuff on your country. If you want to check whether anyone has, please mail me and I will let you know.

We’ll publish this invaluable Fishing Regulations Index as soon as the results roll in. Many thanks.

Your name:
Your e-mail:
Fishing in (Country):
Is a NATIONAL fishing licence usually required?
If “Yes”...
Where can they be bought?
Are their different categories for different species or types of fishing?
How much do they cost?
Can they be bought for less than a year? A week etc?
What is required for a licence (photograph? Passport? Examination?)
Is a REGIONAL fishing licence required? (this is usually the case if the answer to question 1 was “No”)
If “Yes”...  
Where can they be bought?
Are their different categories for different species or types of fishing?
How much do they cost?
Can they be bought for less than a year? A week etc?
What is required for a licence (photograph? Passport? Examination?)
If answer to 1 or 2 is “yes”, are there any waters that don’t need this licence? (for example: some enclosed waters in France, tidal waters in Britain, brown trout fishing in Scotland, and so on)
What else is needed to fish a particular water? This will usually be a permit – or permission – from the club, local association or individual who owns or controls the fishing.
Is any fishing free to licence holders? (Apart from waters where the owner allows free access)
Are all waters owned by the state?
Are there national (or regional) seasons for fishing?
If “yes” (and it usually is):  
Do they depend on the species or type of water? or both. (I am thinking of French category 1 and 2 rivers)
What are the seasons for brown trout? For grayling? For migratory fish?
What have I missed?
Are there major regional differences in regulations? (e.g. some French departements do not allow fishing on Category 1 waters on some days of the week)
    

I suspect that several countries will not fit easily into this format (the lottery system of the Spanish Cotas leaps to mind). If so, abandon it and describe the regulations any way you want.

Jon Beer contributes regularly to publications including Trout & Salmon and The Telegraph. A collection of these can be found in Jon's book 'Gone Fishing - Adventures in pursuit of wild trout'.

If you have any comments, do not hesitate to get in touch or use the message board.