Richard Seager/ Sea Angler Magazine

[Norm B]

Thanks, Steve. I can see where you're coming from.

 

 

Just where does the line get drawn? If bass really are that fragile as a species, should we campaign to abolish all fishing for them? I think those speaking for angling need to think very long and hard about it and come up with a clear statement, as over-zealous 'conservationists' could shoot angling in both feet if they were not careful.

I personally would like to see a system similar to that used in the USA where not only do they have bag limits and minimum size limits to conserve stocks but a maximum size limit, above which a fish may not be landed. This gives a potentially huge breeding stock of mature fish whose spawn is of a better quality with a greater chance of suvival for their fry. Put a bag limit of 1 bass over say 10lb per boat or angler per day and a nil take of bass over say 12lbs and you would eventually build up a good breeding stock. In truth this would actually affect very few anglers in their life time but could curtail the commercial slaughter of breeding fish.

[Steve Coppolo]

The ideal scenario, at least as far as I'm concerned, would be slot sizes. For example, bass between 3lb and 6lb could be taken and anything else gets released. This system is used in certain areas in other countries and really does work. Some anglers, myself included, operate this system on their own backs. I don't now take a bass to eat that are less than 2.5lb or more than 5lb, hence the reason why I took so few bass home to eat last year!

[sam-cox]

Elton, these people are commercial fisherman using rod and line to earn their living, I supose technically they are angling to catch these BREEDING BASS but to me an angler fishes for pleasure not for profit.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Steve. I can see where you're coming from.

 

Personally, I'd say they were caught by anglers as my personal definition would probably be decided by the method, rather than what they did next. However, I can see why some would rather label them commercials than anglers.

 

Whatever the magazine did or didn't know about them, the fact that they were published has benefitted those wishing to protect these fish, as many of us would have been ignorant about them without this very thread.

 

I'm still unsure - one minute we're told not to target juvenile fish, as they haven't had a chance to spawn (something I agree with wholeheartedly). However, we're then told it's wrong to target old fish that have spawned umpteen times.

 

Just where does the line get drawn? If bass really are that fragile as a species, should we campaign to abolish all fishing for them? I think those speaking for angling need to think very long and hard about it and come up with a clear statement, as over-zealous 'conservationists' could shoot angling in both feet if they were not careful.

 

 

This could be the case Elton, I think as already said that once the BMP is implemented maybe then we can mimic the USA.