No F'in cod

[Guest Dave B]

Fished at trimmingham on Sunday - had loads of freshly dug lugworm and 40 crab - not a sniff. In fact, there were 12 anglers on the beach, some of which had fished the complete tide up and down from low water and there was only one codling caught. (most of the anglers were cometent casters, so distance wasn't the key.)

It should fish better this coming weekend with the spring tides lifting all week.

I will post again if I hear of any decent catches.

[Guest waterman1013]

Dave I presume catches haven't improved since there is no new post here.

 

Are the french and spanish still crawling up the beaches with their nets? I was sea angling 25 - 8 years ago and saw catches gradually decline over the period. Until we get the CFP changed, with protection for stocks in place it can only get worse. By catch and catches outside quotas still kill fish but with no benefit to the skipper and crew. All fish netted should be landed and count against the boats quota, if we must have quotas. We would be better off paying the skippers and crews off and not allowing our fisheries to be plundered by our neighbours under the auspices of the Common Fisheries Policy.

 

Write to an MP and MEP now and see what response you get.

 

Mike

[Guest chris pledge]

Hi Mike, its not just Johny Foreigner that's scooping up the cod stocks.

 

Last winter British boats targeted record numbers of juvenille inshore cod stocks, over 50% were dumped back over the side dead because they were undersize

 

This fishery carried on until it was exausted - it makes you wonder about what we are up against!

 

Readers should e-mail their MEP's and complain

 

Chris

[Guest waterman1013]

Hi Chris

 

This is seriously BAD news, but in reality the politicians have us where they want us. UK politicians blame the CFP. The European Parliament is a toothless mass, because of the attitudes of National politicians and doesn't make decisions inthe real world. The Council of Ministers makes the policy decisions and they are all based on national interests. I don't know what MAFF thought of last weekends conference, unfortunately I couldn't be there, but in reality every big political or social change has come about in Britain through direct action. If the Government would rather spend tax payers money enforcing an unworkable quota system instead of taking boats and tonnage out of the water, and out of the equation, then perhaps anglers might have to consider what direct action the government and the boat owners might take notice of.

 

The governments of the world will only take action over depletion of stocks when faced with a situation of no stocks which are commercially viable. Can the fish in the sea and anglers wait that long?

 

I don't think so.

 

Mike

[Guest chris pledge]

Hi Mike

 

No it cannot wait, thats why forums such as this, and the SACN are vital in the fight to protect what is left, and bring about a change in attitude for the future.

 

I'm told we are making a difference: lets hope so.

 

If more anglers took part in these discussions it would help our cause. Plus it would make those who are in the seat of power sit up and take notice of what's happening to our sea's.

 

Chris

[Guest Leon Roskilly]

Originally posted by waterman1013:

All fish netted should be landed and count against the boats quota, if we must have quotas.

 

Allowing boats to land all fish, regardless of size, would mean that skippers would then be free to target areas where they know that all the fish present are undersized.

 

With stocks of decent size fish virtually fished out, that's what the commercials would love to do, squeezing the last bit of return out of their capital before it has to be re-invested in some other industry. Just like mining!

 

I suggested at the MCS conference that skippers should be forced to land whatever they take, the total catch would count against their quota, but the undersized fish should be seperated out and they wouldn't get a penny for landing them.

 

Mike Pawson (MAFF scientist) responded, 'How would you enforce it?'. 'The same as any other regulation', I replied. He shrugged.

 

OK, the point of regulations is that skippers do lay themselves open to aggravation if they break them (and break them they often do). But then again, a lot decide it isn't worth the possible aggravation if they do get caught.

 

Then Barry Edwards (MAFF) said that they were looking into such a scheme, but suspected that the idea would not get very far.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Guest Yatesy]

Hi all, Let me cheer you up with some good news about cod. This week (2nd April) Dover breakwater produced codling to 6lb, peeler crab was the bait I suspect. For the Dover boats a best of 20lb on squid aboard Royal Charelotte with a 68 fish total mostly to pirks over rough ground.

New to this forum, new to the internet, not really got the hang, but trying. Need some help with these smilies.

Tight lines,

Yatesy

[Guest waterman1013]

Welcome to the web Alan. It's good to have you with us.

 

Did you enjoy your trip to NEC?

 

Mike

[Guest Yatesy]

Hi Mike,

NEC Go Fishing short on sea angling, but great otherwise. Birmingham is the last place I would put a sea angling Exhibition!. I did not meet a single sea angler from Kent or Sussex, they have have all been put off by shows of the past. Similarly no Gemini, Breakway, Abu, Shimano etc.

We want an angling show of our own. Maybe next year?!

Alan

[Guest waterman1013]

Alan

 

You looked busy when I came past and West herts isn't that far from Essex. i was fishing out of Southend and Deal for many years but pressure of work has prevented that recently.

 

I was dissappointed in the trade turnout at NEC. Lots of brands were not represented in all aspects of angling and on Sunday the crowds looked very thin. I went round in two hours and if I had travelled expecially would have been disappointed, but we just stopped off on our way back from Shropshire to Herts.

 

Have the bass started to show off Woolmer yet?

 

Mike