What is COPERE?
It's a collective of recreational anglers like you and me. At the time of writing, there are 1100 registered members. The collective was created ten days ago.
Why was this collective formed?
On the collective's website, the preamble reads: "Outraged by the latest measures taken by the European Union regarding sea fishing, COPERE denounces the aberration of the restrictions adopted against recreational fishing. Beyond the various measures taken, COPERE sees a form of privatization of the resource to the benefit of professional and industrial fishing. It denounces the French State and its Secretary of State for the Sea, who, through its IFREMER department, publishes false studies to blame recreational fishing for the depletion of fish stocks. Some measures aim to prohibit recreational anglers from fishing certain species during breeding periods. COPERE supports such measures, which are a step in the right direction, but deplores the fact that they do not apply to all anglers, whether amateur or professional, and in all geographical areas".
What are the collective's objectives?
Here again, I quote from the legal notice on the membership form: "The initial purpose of this collective, as its name indicates, is to bring together all amateur anglers to defend their hobby. Recreational fishing needs to be represented by a large, independent collective. Recreational sea fishing must remain a free activity open to all. Recreational anglers must be able to fish without constraints, in compliance with the regulations in force (size, number of catches, fishing gear, fishing zones, prohibited species, fishing season, etc.), provided that they are adopted in consultation and that they are fair to all anglers, whether professional or recreational. The collective will therefore do everything in its power to guarantee the right to fish freely, despite the government's stated intention to reform recreational sea fishing in the same way as freshwater fishing, which would mean privatizing the practice to members of established structures. The collective will mobilize to defend environmental issues".
Who can join the collective?
All people of good will who are ready to defend their hobby: recreational fishing. Whether you fish from a boat, kayak, paddle, from the shore, on foot or underwater, all recreational practices are welcome. To register, you need to fill in a registration form, which you can find on the linked website address, and which is of course free of charge.
What actions?
The collective is in its take-off phase, and for the moment needs to make itself known and recognized. The main actions at present are interviews in newspapers, magazines and on the radio. Sharing on Facebook pages and other social networks. The presence of representatives of the collective at the Clermont show and at forthcoming fishing shows throughout France. To be recognized and therefore heard, and thus to weigh in the decision-making balance, we need to be numerous. So if you too don't recognize yourself in the current recreational fishing authorities, there's another way...
