AN OBSCURE Brussels proposal likened to the mythical "straight banana" could impose quotas on recreational fishermen and put Westcountry jobs at risk, commentators have warned.

Sea anglers in Devon and Cornwall are incensed by moves to include amateurs within tight restrictions to protect endangered species such as cod, ling, pollack and shark.

Under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, commercial fishermen have to adhere to strict quotas in an effort to conserve diminishing stocks. But while anglers currently have no such limits, critics fear that even once-a-year hobbyists taking pleasure cruises and angling by rod-and-line will fall foul of so-called article 47.

Giles Chichester, South West Conservative MEP, said the proposal, which begins its passage through the European Parliament later this month, is akin to "taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut". The Euro MP is to meet Westcountry anglers tomorrow to hear their concerns.

Mike Concannon, an angler with the Brixham Sea Angling Club in South Devon, said the quota would be impossible to enforce given the vast number of amateur fishermen and the subsequent strain on the fishing industry's bureaucracy.

If it did come to pass, he fears angling hotspots dotted around the South West will suffer as it "drives the fringe anglers out of the business".

Drawing comparisons with EU regulations demanding bananas are free of "abnormal curvature", he said: "This is like the straight bananas. It's a joke. This is the largest recreational sport in the UK – there are more anglers than people who play football – and this could cause serious damage to the 19,000 jobs in the angling sector.

"It would impact on B&Bs, charter boats, tackle shops, all sorts of people."

In the past decade, sea angling has enjoyed a boom, with surveys suggesting that about 1.4 million people in the UK take part each year.

The EU believes the recreational sector is now so big that anglers can have a significant impact on the populations of endangered species.

Under the plan devised by the European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, Joe Borg, each state would be given a quota for each protected species which would be divided between commercial fishermen and anglers.

The plan would require recreational boat captains to apply for a licence for their boat and stop fishing when their quota has been reached. They would be subject to modern fisheries inspection technology such as an electronic log-book.

Mr Chichester will be meeting with the Angling Trust on Friday at 11am in the Abbey Inn by the River Dart in Buckfast, South Devon.