Skippers and anglers gathered for a protest outside the offices of the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) in Poole yesterday.

The protest coincided with a Southern IFCA meeting where members agreed an emergency bylaw that would allow recreational fishermen to use boats longer than 12 metres for as long as there were no more than 12 people in the boat.

The authority made the bylaw in response to a Court of Appeal ruling that a Weymouth charter boat owner could use his craft legally.

Patrick Carlin, who runs Carlin Boat Charter Limited, claimed victory last week after Southern IFCA brought a prosecution against his firm for fishing in a boat, Channel Chieftain V, off Portland Bill and Shambles Bank because it was more than 12m long. His case was that a bylaw preventing boats larger than 12m from fishing within six miles of the coast was aimed at commercial fishing vessels and not recreational anglers.

Southern IFCA said that the case had given clarity to the legal position. Speaking after the decision to apply for the bylaw Chief Officer Ian Carrier said: “We are moving forward in accordance with the court’s decision.”

He added: “The committee has decided to apply for an emergency bylaw. It will allow fishing recreationally.”