UK anglers must adhere to legally enforceable minimum sizes for catching various fish (and shellfish) and keeping them. This has become known as Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes (MCRS). Many fishers have a sticker either on their tackle box or boat rail which shows these minimums, so they know to put back fish caught under this size as soon as possible and as close to where caught as possible.
AIFCA is often contacted to request a sticker but the situation on supplying them is complicated because the minimum sizes change around England’s coastlines so there is no ‘one size fits all’ sticker for everyone, it depends where you intend on fishing.
Mighty Bright has a range of stickers retailing on eBay, but please check these conform to your local IFCA’s regulations, and the latest set of regulations your IFCA has issued.
Ensure for 2025 you’ve checked your sticker is up to date and please contact your local IFCA to get a copy of the MCRS and a sticker. The full list of IFCAs to cover the coastline is below.
Wishing you, for 2025, a record year for catches and that 100% are over minimum size. This way we can preserve our marine life, fish and seafish stocks for the next generation of fishers and anglers.
