Carinthia will require exams for annual fishing cards

People buying an annual fishing card in Carinthia will soon have to pass an exam, under a revised fisheries law approved by a committee of the Carinthian parliament on Thursday, ORF reports. The law is scheduled to take effect in January.

Before buying their first annual card, applicants will have to attend a preparatory course and pass a theoretical exam. The course length and workload have not yet been decided.

The requirement will not apply to experienced anglers who have held an annual fishing card or comparable permit at some point in the past 10 years. The new law will also lower the minimum age for fishing from 14 to 12.

Hubertus Orsini-Rosenberg of the Carinthian State Fisheries Association said the change would bring the state’s rules closer to those elsewhere in Austria. Carinthia is currently the only Austrian state that does not require an exam to demonstrate fishing knowledge. The association supports the bill, which it says was developed with input from specialist organisations.

The FPÖ voted against the bill. Its agriculture spokesperson, Dietmar Rauter, said the changes would not improve expertise and would increase costs and administrative work. He said the current eight hours of instruction would be reduced to six, while a new exam would add costs for the course, exam and certificate, as well as work for district authorities.

SPÖ parliamentary group leader Luca Burgstaller said anglers should have the necessary knowledge to take responsibility for nature and wildlife in lakes and rivers. He also said the party wanted to encourage children to take up fishing and learn to treat waterways responsibly.

The full Carinthian parliament is due to vote on the law on November 19.