Talking to a local guy on Hythe beach a couple of days ago (he was spinning} and he said a local chap was netting Bass from his small boat, and selling them! He is out every day. He blames this guy for the lack of Bass now off Hythe beach.
Also, local trawlers have been operating within casting distance of the beach at night, netting all the Sole. Needless to say, I was bottom fishing for Bass at low tide near the rocks, and also blanked.

Mike,

See here: Netting, Is it Legal?

From the 1st of September both buyers and sellers of first hand sale fish need to be registered (even pubs and resturarants), and there must be an audit trail of sale notes and receipts when fish is sold on, so buyers in possession of 'illegal' fish need to watch out.

TL - leon

[ 14. August 2005, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

Sadly, it's always gone one. Back in the 70s, when I beach-fished for bass at Dungeness and Galloways, inshore trawlers would sometimes come within casting distance of the beach. This was in broad daylight, too. They hung sacks or what-have-you across their registration numbers so they couldn't be identified.

Sam Cox will doubtless confirm that his father, Bob, and his colleague, John Rawle, had to talk in code when communicating via their boat-to-boat radios, otherwise on saying they'd found thornbacks, for example, they'd find within a short time that a damn great beam-trawler was bearing down on them.

Any wonder that my sympathy when I hear commercial fishermen complaining about their plight is, shall we say, muted.....

if i ever see them within casting distance i'll be tying a plain lead to my shockleader and casting at them. they'll soon move on

Thanks Leon, Iv'e saved that page for reference.
I think the guy in question has a powered boat, ie. an outboard motor.
As for the trawlers, they also cruise up and down just off Dungeness at night after Sole, sometimes with their navigation lights off.

They probably bought their nets from one of the links on the advertising banner atop noah`s "sandeel" thread

Next time you see a trawler towing within casting distance of the beach cast directly behind it as there are probably more fish feeding on the food being sterd up by the net than there is in front of it.

Unless they are over 12 meters Why should they turn off nav lights or cover registration numbers, they are not doing anything illegal,

Simon, sometimes I take a short cut which takes us close to the beach as that is where the water is deepest , I've had idiots like you trying to hit us with lead whieghts, so far, lucky for them they have not succeeded.

Might be lucky for you too

Once when I was off with big cod someone caught the antenna and decided to go for broke. The 6 oz lead came unstuck and flew like a bullet missing me by about an inch. If that had hit I wouldnt be here to wind u up.

WURZEL you are naughty boy towing that close in and should be ashamed of yourself.

Don't do trawling, just a stort cut home. But if I did trawl and the soles were close to the beach then so would I be. I don't know of any where local where the trawlers do fish that close.