The plans to shut off inshore waters to commercial fishing I feel will at least give most speciese a safe breeding ground, and coupled with larger minimum landing sizes should see anglers catching larger sized fish on a more regular basis.
There are however down sides to this, it will push gill netters offshore where dolphins, harbour porpoises, live and may result in more sea mamels being caught in drift netts,

Sam.
As I`m sure you know. Plans, decisions, laws, are nothing more than a ray of sunshine. Implementation and enforcement are what counts!
Illegal netters are illegal. But they still abound. It`s the enforcement of the regulations that we need.

I have heard this argumant before Sam. I don't agree with the bit about it might push gill netters offshore. Those that are capable will be fishing offshore anyway. If gill nets get banned within a mile, it will mostly affect the part time, hobby and seasonal fishermen. At least in our area anyway. These people don't rely purely on catching fish to earn a living.

It'll also stop all the cowboy, unlicenced netters in their little 14 foot dinghys. Some might say that they don't do much damage, but there are enough of them doing it to make a difference.

I think the most important part of this plan is that it will protect the estuaries from commercial netters.

Steve I wasnt saying it was a bad thing, I feel its the only way to go if we want to start catching better fish inshore.
As you know I have a mate thats a commercial fisherman, he stopped working offshore as he thought he cauld ern just as much inshore with the fual and time saved. This didnt really happen and he now does other things as well as fishing to pay his bills, hes talking of starting to work offshore again if he has to, he also reckons that those that work a real long way off shore are catching several harbour porpoises per year.

The other day he had someone from the contenant phone him trying to buy large numbers of smoothounds, he declined but said to me that someone will suply the demand, pitty as they will only get 50 pence per pound.These fish will ither be trawled or caught in tremell netts, both off which catch and kill a large unwanted buy catch.

er, there are currently no plans, only proposals which will eventually go out for consultation, and before the commercials reading this post have a heart attack, (or anglers expectations are dashed when unfounded rumours get out of hand) there is no proposal to ban 'commercial fishing' inshore, only gill nets.

And it is unlikely that there will be a blanket ban that will apply to all areas and to all net fisheries.

Tight Lines - leon

http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/pcp/faq6_en.htm

"In July 2003, the European Commission tabled a proposal ( 187 Kb) to curb the accidental capture of cetaceans such as dolphins and harbour porpoises in fishing gear as this is threatening the conservation of these species. On the basis of the Commission proposal, the Council adopted in March 2004 a Regulation ( 148 Kb) on a step by step reduction of the use of driftnets from 1 January 2005 until complete prohibition by 1 January 2008, the compulsory use of acoustic deterrent devices (“pingers”) on fishing nets and the monitoring of by-catches through an observer scheme."


TL - leon

are'nt trammel nets just as indiscriminate as gillnets leon? i dont think its just the latter that is the only problem i think if you are going to the trouble of trying to lobby the government etc on any issue's dealing with the out to one mile zone its got to be worth trying to ban all nets gill/trammel/trawl etc, and not just the one type. and yes that may mean certain bait collecting business's that collect sandeels for anglers, no need to mention names i think.......

I'm sure trammel nets would be classed as gill nets.

tremmel nets are far worse than standard gill netts, they are genrally fixed. they are a wall of normal90 mil gillnet with a wall of much larger mesh next to it.
A standard gill net when drifted or fixed for short periods of time are pritty discriminate and mostly only catch sizable fish.

quote:

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Originally posted by sam-cox:
The other day he had someone from the contenant phone him trying to buy large numbers of smoothounds, he declined but said to me that someone will suply the demand, pitty as they will only get 50 pence per pound.These fish will ither be trawled or caught in tremell netts, both off which catch and kill a large unwanted buy catch. [/QB]

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:cool: 50 pence a pound, last year they were fetching £1.50 a stone here with loads skipped because the potters didn't want them all. The sight of 20lb+ female smoothies in pup, still alive on the quay, is why some anglers hate commercials with a vengance. They were towing for bream and they were a by-catch, brought ashore for pot bait at £1.50 a stone, they should have been put back. :mad: