wurzel

You don't think things have changed a bit since then?

A bull in a china shop springs to mind!!!

You are kidding??

It's worked out on how many cod caught in a 2 hour tow in the sole fishery, if it exceeds a certain amount,how many I'm not sure only that it ain't many that area is shut down for a few weeks then checked again and remains closed until the cod move on, there is no targeted cod fishery in this area anymore nobody has any quota other than the tiny amount allowed by the under tens.

Another good idea Glenn, Paul is good at shooting himself in the foot. Getting dizzy already. Perhaps Clive has some accurate figures of undersize codling caught in this fishery, I think I read some where that (I can't find) it was only about 3% of the total discard of whiting, haddock pouting, and codling.

Hello Stevie The closures cover all of the North Sea, we have had closures here in the Southern North Sea.

Good idea Brain, close the fishery down for 6 weeks Big cod can go on holiday, have a paint up or if need be sign on the social to tide him over.

Don't worry Reg Defra have in mind to provide plenty for RSA as a sport, most will come under the heading "restrictions" that RSA don't want or need.

I like this bit "The public have a right to fish."

Hello Reg Being the voice of all anglers the AT should be doing all of the above already, it's because they are not and there is no sign of them ever doing so Barry and most other RSA are not members. If the AT ever did take up the real issues that worry sea anglers there would be a direct conflict of interests with the WWF, any links with these eco bullies will always be a problem especially any consultation concerning MPA's And while I'm here. The AT response to the CFP was crap based on nothing but some anglers representatives perceptions of fish stocks and commercial fishing practices and no doubt some input by the WWF, I suppose it was based on what they think anglers want to hear. The Golden Mile is a none starter any way, but if it was ever implemented it would not make any difference to anglers catches just cause a lot of animosity with the inshore fishermen who I doubt you have ever spoken to on the subject.

Up the revolution

Quote But Mr Brookin said that he was optimistic about the boat's future as EU quotas were being loosened next month so he could catch three tonnes of cod in March. Very optimistic, three tonnes equates to about 9 days work and a wage of around £1000 each after expenses, not much to get excited about especially if like most boats in this area have not earn any thing much since last November and the chances are they will cut it again in April.

So challenge with all that hands on fishing experience among the crew. What would you do if you boarded me while hauling a fleet of 100ml sole gear and there were 3 box's of large cod to 1 box of sole in it, you know from experience this can happen especially when the sea is full of cod as it is at the moment, do you allow me to keep the cod or do you make me dump it?

Hello Cris I try not to get depressed, I am frustrated, angry, scared and increasingly not so bloody cheerful, since the start of this year it has become more and more obvious that we are not going to be allowed to earn a living , up until now I've managed to limbo under the waves of legislation and "interested" bodies and still make a living but now I'm not sure how we are going to survive this coming year as they seem to be really tightening the noose now and want to get the under ten meter fleet problem done and dusted as quickly as possible, I suspect in time for the setting up of the MPA's.

Hello Jaffa Oh I wish it was all just ancient history Cris, nothing has changed MAFF now DEFRA and MFA are still pretty clueless fishing wise, probably much larger in number than in your day even though the fleet is much smaller. They have now got their sights firmly set on the under ten fleet and we are getting all the pain that comes with that. Soon they will merge with the FC's to become an even bigger Quango needed to keep anglers in order and police the MPA's

And that is the truth, unlike what is perseived by most anglers .

Hello Reg How much influence has the WWF got on the AT strategy? I would say more than is healthy .

I would tell the commission not to be so bloody petty and bugger off.

Hello Reg How does governing RSA improve our fish stocks? Anglers have no rights to fish piers, jetties and harbour arms that is down to the owners how are you going to take that away from them? I generally catch a lot more than the odd fish here and there, I am never going to believe the state of fear propaganda of "...............................until their all gone." the UK government is doing a fine job of destroying the commercial fishing industry with out your help so why not carry on as normal and do nothing? Ps I would be interested in the part of the strategy that says "fight against the dumping of thousands of tonnes of dead fish back into the sea", and how the AT would cure the problem.

Hello Dave It will only be little bit the rest will come by plugging in to the French nuclear power stations being built along the channel coast. And they don't save oil.

Hello Dave B And exactly what resources are wind farms safeguarding?

Hello Clive I know that the trawlers got over the increase in cod end mesh size by using much heavier twine, you needed a crow bar to open a mesh, this must make a difference to the discard or the health of any fish that manages to force it's way through the mesh. I know the increase in twine was justified to a point because the bigger the mesh the weaker it is but would a square mesh cod end been more effective in reducing discards, do you know any thing about the trails done with square mesh cod ends? I know there were some done but never heard the out come. The French fleet seem to be a law unto themselves of which the EU seem to tip toe around, the boats working of Brid claim to be fishing for Whiting, they seemed to have moved further north in recent years, we used to have them off here mainly off shore in mid channel, I've watched them haul on several occasions and they seemed to be catching a lot of gurnards, I have always thought the French can make a good living on what we would throw away or sell for pot bait, They must get boarded by the protection vessels same as every body else but unlike the Belgies rarely end up in the courts.

Paul I'm not talking about knowing just about Whitby and the fishing spots there abouts, you seem to have no understanding of the mechanisms and logistics of an ever changing environment that you work in . I never had much trouble with the local trawlers, we left because the cod were on the decrease and the sole on our home grounds were increasing big time, I could ask you to explain why the soles increased despite claims of gross over fishing but it would be a waste of time. I doubt you would tolerate a long lining fleet at Whitby, I mean proper long liners that would target cod 100% of the time with 6000 hooks a day, working every day on the same grounds as you , unlike the trawlers that alternate between cod, whiting, haddock and prawns some times diapering off to the pipes for some black (coaly) of which none is possible for a long liner. My little patch includes reports from south to Dover to the French coast up the Dutch coast and across and North to Hartlepool so you must be doing something wrong on your even smaller patch Paul.

I don't blame that certain gentleman one bit if I was he I would be sticking the knives long and deep into the charter boats, you won't be happy until there is no commercial boats with in 200 miles of Whitby. I can't understand somebody that claims to have worked in and around the sea as long as you have yet understands nothing about it. I should imagine the guy from DEFRA was jumping up and down with glee at your claims, it's a wonder he never produced a jar of Vaseline and asked you to bend over there and then , no matter he'll be back so be prepared to be shafted, you will regret ever meeting the guy and the words "cod could go over the edge" will come back and haunt you. I also look to the future and can see your anglers on 1 cod a day but no more than 3 per week. The cod stocks in this area are on the up and no where near the edge and anglers are happy with their catches with most experiencing the best fishing for many years so perhaps the fisheries management in this area will allow a much bigger bag limit than yours. Good luck Paul you deserve all you get.

Hello Brian It all works in theory, but has not done so as yet in practice. There has been a large closed area called the Trevose box off of the West coast for years, a known area for aggregations of spawning cod for the Irish sea, but despite closing this area which I think was originally an industry idea along with massive cuts in fleets and effort controls the cod stock has remained stubbornly low, interesting that the Irish Sea cod stock has remained stable at a low level for a long period despite cut after cut in fishing effort, I suspect the stock is at it's normal level and that the high level the management are trying to achieve is not.