The animal condition takes precedence
The proposed law was motivated by a growing concern for the animal condition. According to an IFOP poll published in 2019, 89% of the French population considers the animal condition to be an important cause. The co-signatories point out that there is scientific consensus that fish, crustaceans and cephalopods feel pain, which makes live fishing particularly cruel.
Many prohibited fishing techniques
Live fishing is already banned in several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and certain regions of Austria. It will also be banned in France from 1 er may 2025.
The signatories of the law believe that it is time to regulate recreational fishing while taking animal suffering into account. They consider that live-bait fishing is the cruelest technique and should be banned to protect the animals used as live bait.
To achieve this, we had to amend the French Penal Code, in particular article 521-1, to include all vertebrate, cephalopod and decapod species used as live bait in recreational fishing.
As well as the Environment Code, and more specifically Article 2, which now prohibits the breeding, capture and marketing of animals intended to be used as live bait for fishing. In addition, the breeding, capture and marketing of animals intended to be used as live bait for sea fishing is now prohibited.
Implications for fishermen
This means that fishermen can no longer use live fish, squid or crabs as bait. This will have a significant impact on recreational fishing practices, particularly for those who used traditional techniques and many sea anglers.
The new law aims to protect animals used as live bait by banning live bait fishing. Recreational anglers and, above all, their representatives can now mobilize to defend their passion and find animal-friendly alternatives, unless it's already too late...
Fortunately, this is an April fool's joke! However, a bill has already been tabled and all anglers, institutions and fishing brands must remain vigilant, if we want to be able to practice our hobby for a long time to come...
