Fisheries officer on Southend Pier

[sam-cox]

Today I met Richard, a fisheries officer from Kent and Essex.He was a nice friendly chap and we chatted for around 45 mins.

He had already told several anglers to trow back undersized dead bass they had in their bags. I asked him why they hadnt been nicked and he said he has to use his descression.A angler with one or two undersized bass in his bag is not worth the expense of an prossercution. But if he fouynd anyone with lots or someone who had aready be warned, he would nick them.

One thing that did strike me was the very little he knew about angling, and the laws concerning the selling of fish. I think he will be doing some home work now, he seemed keen on lurning more about our sport and more about his job.

It was good to see him on the pier and his showing his face there from time to time may deture others from keeping undersized fish.

[***Simon***]

throw back undersized dead bass?

 

i dont see the logic in that, if their dead then they may aswell be taken home and eaten rather than wasted

 

dont you agree or have i missed something?

[Newt]

***Simon*** - I can see where you are coming from but to me, making them return the undersize fish to the water makes sense.

 

- Wasted? Not likely. Too many sea critters that enjoy a dead fish so they will be used albeit not by a human person.

 

- Taken home? If so, where do you draw the line. Is 2 undersized fish OK but 3 not OK? How about 20 OK but not 21? It is much easier to police if the practice is not to allow any undersize fish to be kept.

[Guest jay_con]

Im afraid my thoughts are as always.No matter how much of a nice guy he is, Such a limited resource would be far better utilised where it is most required.

[sam-cox]

and where do you think that is Autumn?

[sam-cox]

A few of the angler seemed a bit put out by the fisheries officer.

To me it was good to see him, as lots more undersized bass are slaughtered at venues like Southend Pier than but gill netters. Maybe if he was there more often finaly some anglers might get it through their thick heads that size limits do aply to anglers to.

[Guest jay_con]

May well be true. You've now seen how easy it is to enforce something. The fear of that man coming back onto the pier will make people put back thier undersize fish and by word of mouth every angler in your area will know what has happened. So next time someone discuss the licence issue and enforcement you can hold that up as an example and say how only 40 mins of one mans time made people play by the rules. If he visits a couple more times and perhaps prosecutes someone then you will see almost 100% playing by the rules.

 

Having said all that I would much prefer to see a limited resource put to far better use. Lots of the commercials are still outside of the law and having a far worse effect on your fish stocks than the anglers on the pier. "Ducking and Diving" as one anglersnet reguler phrases it.

[sam-cox]

I put you right Autumn, but most commercials using 90mil gill netts do not land undersized bass. What they do is to catch mostly 36cm bass that have yet to spawn, this has had a very bad efect on the bass fishery for the past 15 years filtering our bass so now we mostly catch small fish.

[sam-cox]

If we was get get a sea anling lisence inforced on us, then that money would be well spent on more fishery officers.

[DJMCJERICO]

I'm pleased, it show's that an effort is being made, hopefully he will be up there a bit more frequently and the pier will be free of undersized chinese resturant masaca's ect.

 

Sam did you ask about his views on livebaiting?

 

p.s was up the crouch a couple of days ago, was on the wallasea side sitting on those floating, chainlinked box things, massive muttlet cruising about a foot from me, will be back up for todays tide, still plenty of crabs about and the bass are still there, even if it was only a pound