Solution Anyone?. Recreational Angling Response

[Leon Roskilly]

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/1...48.2005.00871.x

 

 

The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems

 

Finally, synergistic effects between climate and other anthropogenic variables, particularly fishing pressure, will likely exacerbate climate-induced changes.

[MJB]

Are fish stocks in decline? I'd have to say yes, although it does seem some regions have been harder hit than others. I fish anywhere between Chichester and Chesil and there are still good fish to target, but you need to put a great deal of effort in to catch consistantly. Like others have noted, certain species are doing better than the more commercially targetted fish. I'm not sure if there is just one cause to this decline though. Commercial pressure has definatly contributed, but so has climate change (whether you think it's man made or a natural occurance, it's happening) and the increased pressure from the leisure and tourism sectors. What are the solutions? What can RSA and Commercials do? I'm sure there's going to be lots of views on this, so I thought I would throw some daft and even dafter ideas into the discussion.

 

Ideas for RSA:

 

One area that should be looked at is the impact that charter boats have on fish stocks, particularly from deep wrecks. Maybe it's time to make some wrecks and reefs 'out of bounds' to anglers and commercials alike. Anyone caught fishing them would face fines and confiscation of boats/tackle.

 

Let's enforce the size limits on RSA - If we want to force the comercial sector to do something, we should at least get our own house in order. Why not make it illegal for an angler to sell his catch without a commercial licence. I'm all for sensibly retaining a few fish for your own consumption, but keeping the local chinky in fish is taking the ****.

 

Match fishing needs to have a shake-up. SAMF and the NFSA really need to look at ways of getting away from the current situation where fish are left to go to waste. CMR matches seem to be the way forward.

 

Educating anglers has been mentioned, but how? Why not introduce a compulsory licence? Use the money to educate anglers on the regulations and conservation issues (Magazines, pamphlets etc.). How about making it a membership fee for a national body representing RSA?

 

 

Ideas for Commercials:

 

 

I have some wierd and wacky thoughts on this but bear with me. Firstly, fishery regulations are too complex and disjointed, so no-one really understands them. Let's centralise the SFC structure. Local variations could still take place, but overall the basic regulations would be standard across the country.

 

The current species specific quota system is inflexible. When a fishery needs to be shut down for conservation reasons it's difficult for boats to diversify, leading to the temptation to fish illegally. I work in dairy farming and have this idea based on my experience of milk quota. Give each boat a quota of fish it can land, not species specific - any fish. In the same way milk quota varies dependant on butterfat (More fat, less litres) you could apply similar to fish. More premium species landed, less tonnage of quota. By the same token, reward those who use more sustainable fishing techniques to catch a little bit more. Introduce strong financial penalties for anyone who goes over quota. This will reduce by-catch as saleable fish will be landed instead of being dumped if the boat has the wrong quota.

 

By-catch is another area that needs looking at. Now this is going to sound completely barmy. Let's make commercial boats land their by-catch. Instead of dumping the fish overboard at sea to go to waste, turn it into feed for aquaculture, which in turn could reduce the pressure on the stocks of fish targetting for fishmeal. I know what you're thinking. Commercials will just hammer everything for a quick buck. Solution - Fix the price of by-catch low. Also make 1 tonne of by-catch worth 4 tonne of quota and limit the proportion of by-catch to total catch. Again strong penalties for those who break the rules. Any boat found dumping at sea could be confiscated and dismantled...no compensation. Let's make the penalties harsh enough to make the commercial sector look at ways of limiting by-catch.

 

 

Introduce strong penalties for all illegal fishing, commercial and RSA alike and enforce them.

 

 

 

 

Like I said.......some daft ideas and some even dafter, but hopfully something to raise a few eyebrows and cause more discussion.

[MJB]

Should have also added we need realistic size limits for all species. Let's have size limits set at a size where all fish will have spawned once. I don't care if you caught such and such a fish full of roe at such and such a size, we need a size where the fish will all have bred.

[stavey]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the bass/gill net issue was close to a solution???? Which then creates a pressedent, for the next conservation ideas to be considered? . . . I get so very confused, with the 'on/not on', way things go. I've probably screwed it all up in my mind, ho hum Just have to kee chearing from the side lines

 

hi cliff it is a solution to one particular species directly and maybe a few other species may benefit from it to? but we dont even know if this will be accepted and implemented yet, if at all.

 

I dont think we can afford to sit and wait for an outcome on any of the bmp plans, i think ben bradshaw is one of the biggest supporters of this but who knows what the next fisheries minister will think of it if a cabinat reshuffle happens in the next year or two and he is replaced? regardless of what predesessor's leaves on the table after he has gone, it can and is mostly looked at in a different light by some one else.

 

In my original post on this thread i said so whats the solution! i guess there is'nt just one but many that have to be looked at see ya.........................

[sam-cox]

I have a photo on my landing of a 26-year-old Bob Cox un-hooking a bass of around 1lb. The reason a photo was taken is because it was the smallest bass my Dad or his mate Mick Chalk had ever seen.

 

No I think I have a unique perspective on conservation as not only has Dad banged on about declining fish stocks for over 30 years but when I left school I worked on a local commercial fishing boat.

 

Now the commercial sector has reaped what they sown, they have been over fishing since the dawn of time, now with modern technology they are so efficient that they could probably fish the seas completely empty.

 

I would hate to see a day where we had no commercial fishermen and all our fish were farmed. Mother nature is the best fish farmer and the sea the best fish farm.

Its good management that’s needed, MAFF that is now DEFRA is there only for the commercial fishing fleet and up until now anglers were not considered stake holder, the commercial fisherman were basically left to manage the fishery. Well they were not very good at it were they!

I know you guys hate me droning on about the BMP but it really could be the, letting them reproduce at least twice before becoming target stock, restrict commercial activity within say 1 mile of the foreshore, creating nursery areas where anglers have to comply with bag limits.

Its measures like these that will ensure the future of our fisheries for our children to enjoy!

[DoubleShotDamo]

Five mile limit for trawlers and nets. Dump our huge piles of used vehicle tyres out at sea to make artificial reefs. Any boats breaking the rules, burn 'em.

[sam-cox]

sounds good to me!

[big_cod]

There is some very simple solutions to try and halt the decling stocks of fish but it would harm the commercial sector very badly and probably push many boats into bankrupty ,succesive goverments have let things get just where they are now didnt have the balls to make harse decisions being constantly lobbied by the commercial sector telling them every thing is rosy when in real terms this was not the case, cod for instance to what it was 10 years ago is in big trouble ask any real commercial fishermen and they are worried its only the high price what is keeping them going, but harse decisions must be made if anybody is serious about trying to stop the tottall collapse some people keep saying there is no boats now but a lot of areas have been decimated and hold very little fish nowadays there is nothing for what little boats what are left, the damage has been done over the last 25-30 years and as it said in the fishing news not long ago things are not going to recover overnight because of the decomishing its going to take many years of carefull management to start to turn things around over fishing has took its toll nobody wants to see fishing communities decimated but if you look at the faroes they catch most of there fish with lines and do very well, if some harse decisions arent made soon some fishing communities will cease to exist with the help of the goverment this need not happen but again subsidies will help the situation .

If you stopped all fishing for cod through the spawning months .

If you stopped fishing for cod during herring spawn time this is when vast amounts of undersized codlings end up as discards this practice must stop or the last nail will go in the coffin.

Edited March 31, 2006 by big_cod

[Guest CJS2]

My mind realy is getting confused, we have two interested parties, commercial fishing and anglers. Now when I was talking to my friendly fish wholesaler the other month, buying my 2, 10kg box of UW Squid, he informed me that it is no longer practical to buy English fish, almost all his stock comes from Europ, Scandinavia, almost any where except the UK. Please explain to my simple mind why my fish wholesaler who wants to by British caught fish like he used to, is forced to import his stock? "British caught cod is far superior quality, I just cant get it" he said.

 

I am hearing one thing from one side which is not backed up by a totaly indipendant party, his busines is not failing or anything like that, he just cant get British fish, so is forced to go the alternative route. I supose this is probably better in the comercial section, if it is tell me and ill transfer it or somthing??

Edited March 31, 2006 by CJS2

[big_cod]

The problem demand is outstriping suppy there isnt a lot of cod getting landed these days.