OPPONENTS of controversial plans to force amateur anglers to declare their catches as part of European quotas, have vowed to step up their fight against the "bureaucratic nightmare".

It is feared the move to bring the "simple pleasure" of fishing as a hobby under the remit of the Common Fisheries Policy could cost Westcountry ports hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The European Commission is proposing a requirement on recreational fishermen to register their boats and what they catch would be deducted from the amount each country is allowed to land.

But British politicians have lined up in stiff opposition to the move, described as "draconian", "ludicrous" and "a farce".

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UK MEPs have leapt to the defence of amateur fishermen catching a bit of supper at sea.

A preliminary vote on the plan is expected to be held by the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee in April. But opposition is already mounting in the hope of dumping the plan before then.

South West Tory MEP Neil Parish said the idea would create more red tape without protecting threatened fish stocks: "Recreational fishing is a simple pleasure that would become a bureaucratic nightmare if these plans become law.

"This kind of draconian approach would do very little to assist in the recovery of fish stocks, yet it will cause a great deal of damage to tourism and the whole fishing sport. If the European Union is serious about acting to protect fish stocks in the EU, it should launch a fundamental overhaul of the Common Fisheries Policy, not target an ancient hobby."

The European Commission insists the plan is aimed at preventing professional fishermen breaching their catch quotas by claiming to be amateurs. The threat is contained in an Article in proposed new legislation stating: "Recreational fisheries on a vessel in Community waters on a stock subject to a multi-annual plan (EU control measures) shall be subject to an authorisation for that vessel issued by the flag member state."

It says such recreational fish catches must be registered by the national authorities and "counted against the relevant quotas of the flag member state".

Bizarrely, the only exception, says the Article, would be recreational fishing "for philanthropic purposes".

However, the UK Independence Party warned that the Commission risked turning nearly a million-and-a-half sea anglers in Britain into criminals.

Party leader Nigel Farage said anglers fishing from beaches, piers or kayaks would face regulation under the plan: "What a farce this is. Brussels intends to use hi-tech surveillance on a few people peacefully fishing for fun, as they do for commercial fishermen.

"This is a sport that sustains a billion-pound-a-year industry covering equipment, accommodation and boat hire."

He said ports – including many in the Westcountry – earned "millions from their recreational angling fleets" which could now be at risk.

Labour's fisheries spokesman in the European Parliament, Catherine Stihler, said: "I want to see the Article concerning recreational anglers deleted. This issue would be impossible to enforce and is a step too far."