Newsnight Tonight - 7th June

[Guest Elton]

BBC2, 10:30pm - Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley talks to Jeremy Paxman. Could be interesting indeed!

 

Tight Lines,

 

Elton

 

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Elton Murphy

Anglers' Net

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk

[Guest waterman1013]

Elton, I missed it.

 

Did you see it? What did Morley say?

 

Can we get a transcript on here?

 

Mike

[Guest RobStubbs]

I watched most of it but got bored. The whole topic revolved around the slaughter of dolphins by pair fishing - apparently a trawl by a pair of boats with a big net. They are trawling for bass and it seems a significant by catch is dolphins and in large numbers. Some boats were catching 10's of dolphins per trawl and it seems there are a fair few boats fishing in this way. Some from Scotish ports but most of the boats were from France. The boats target the waters around the south west of the UK so if it continues the bass stocks will be (even more) decimated and we'll have very few dolphins around the british isles.

 

Eliot Morley was basically saying they didn't have much evidence (a couple of MAFF scientists were out with a scottish boat that took a dozen dolphins in 9 days). Radio reports from a French boat told of 20+ dolphins in one trawl. The british policy appears to be to speak with the French and go to the EU to discus things. He said if we stop our boats fishing this way it still leaves the French boats to fish as they want, which I guess is true, but it's better than doing nothing.

 

Oh and there is also some ongoing research into the bass stocks which is in the same area of water so that 'may' come up with some more answers.

 

That's all I can remember of it,

 

Rob.

[Guest Elton]

We've been talking about this topic for a while now in the Sea Anglers' Conservation Network area of this site. Leon wrote a couple of pieces concerning dolphins, which are here:

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/article11.htm

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/article12.htm

 

One of the problems when trying to promote sea fish conservation is that sea fish are just seen as 'food', there to be exploited without due consideration (imagine if they did the same with carp!). By highlighting the by-product of these indiscriminate trawling methods (i.e. dolphin kills), the issue is, at last, gaining a higher profile. Some people, such as Malcolm Gilbert, Bob Cox, Roger Baker, Chris Pleadge, etc.. have been working for years to get the authorities to listen to them.

 

I hope this is a step in the right direction for them. It's the least they deserve for their hard work.

 

If anyone reading this hasn't looked at the SACN section of this site, please do so now. You're welcome to print it off and read it at your leisure.

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/

 

Tight Lines,

 

Elton

 

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Elton Murphy

Anglers' Net

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk

[Guest Leon Roskilly]

There will be many, not least in MAFF, desperately keeping their fingers crossed that the public revelations made in Wednesday Night’s Newsnight program will amount to no more than a storm in teacup, destined to quickly fade from the public’s consciousness.

 

It’s up to us to ensure that, far from being a storm in a teacup, the programme is the first rumblings of an approaching storm of public condemnation at the killing of these intelligent mammals, in the pursuit of wiping out the population of sizeable bass from our waters.

 

Please take some little time to write letters or send emails.

 

Write to Newspapers and Media organisations, to your own MPs and MEPs and any others who you think will be sympathetic. Write to MAFF, and to the European Commission for Fisheries (useful contact information, and articles on the plight of dolphins can be found on the Sea Anglers’ Conservation Network (SACN) website at http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/ and at the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society website at http://www.ukbass.com)

 

Both MAFF and the European Commission are already well aware of the issues. A short note to them, registering your support for the closure of the fishery, especially in the light of the dolphin deaths is all that is needed. That should take you just a couple of minutes.

 

(MAFF have, in the past, replied that they must balance fishermen’s livelihoods with other issues. Agreed. Very few fishermen benefit from this industrial fishery, which is threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of smaller fishermen, who do not have political clout or effective representation. Not to mention the livelihoods of those in the tourist/leisure/recreational industries, dependent on plentiful live fish in the sea. Recreational Angling, Diving, Wildlife Tourism etc (dolphins, sea otters and seabirds all need plentiful fish stocks to thrive).

 

MAFF have also stated that they are reluctant to take action without good scientific evidence. Let’s turn that argument on its head. The fishery should cease immediately, until there is rigorous scientific evidence that it can be carried out sustainably, and without unacceptable environmental impact.)

 

Letters for publication in the press, and drawing attention of the issues to MPs etc will need to be a little longer and informative. Try to keep them succinct and to the point. (Some tips on letter writing can be found on the SACN website).

 

Try to get your friends and fellow club members etc involved. Forward a copy of this email to anyone you think might help.

 

The campaign needs to be sustained, so don't send all your letters at once. A letter a week over a period of time is likely to keep the issue alive.

 

With just a little bit of effort from you, we *can* get this fishery closed, with luck before it resumes next winter.

 

Then we will have a good chance of seeing sizeable bass again, in a few years time, and are likely to have the chance of seeing dolphins at play, as we head out for a day’s angling.

 

Tight Lines – Leon Roskilly

Sea Anglers Conservation Network (SACN) http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/

 

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From the ‘Times’ 9th June 2000 (page 12)

 

Alert on trawler danger to dolphins (by Nick Nuttall – Environment Correspondent)

 

Scientists have for the first time seen dolphins entangled in British fishermen’s nets, prompting demands that so-called paired or pelagic trawling be outlawed on environmental grounds.

 

About 15 dead dolphins were seen over nine days by the observers, hired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as they were carrying out sea tagging experiments on Scottish boats.

 

Pelagic fishing, in which two boats drag a giant net, is used by French and Scottish fishermen to catch sea bass.

 

Until now there has been no firm proof linking dead dolphins washed up on Cornish coasts with the pelagic fleet. But the new evidence, given to ministers last night, has led to demands that the Government and the European Commission act to reduce threats to wildlife.

 

Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society likened pelagic trawling to drift netting, another method harmful to wildlife which is being phased out. Several thousand dolphins a year may be dying after being entangled in nets, experts claim.

 

MEPs led by Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat European environment spokesman and member for the North West, called yesterday on Franz Fischler, the Fisheries Commissioner, to act.

[Guest Leon Roskilly]

Teletext today on CH4 page 130 - dolphin death coverage.

 

Keep the ball rolling!

 

Tight Lines - Leon Roskilly

Sea Anglers' Conservation Society (SACN) http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/sacn/

[Guest chris pledge]

Well done to all of those who managed to get the plight of dolphins being slaughtered in the SW bass fishery recognised by Newsnight.

 

As Leon has already said keep up the pressure

on those who count by lobbying your own MP, MEP, local council et all.

 

We need you to complain...please.

 

Chris (Pledge)