Cod spawning stock increase - The cod are safe?

[Guest jay_con]

Ive just read a letter in my local paper from a fisherman and NFFO president. What is NFFO?

 

In the article he claims "we now have the largest haddock spawning stock biomass, The largest ever recorded in the north sea."

 

"we also have larger whiting, nethrops, saith and angler fish stocks than previously seen"

 

" on the question of cod the spawning stock bio mass has increased year on year for the past 3 years. These are all ICES (scientists figures).

" the uk is the only member state that has come anywhere near the 65% reduction in cod mortality and the only one taking it seriously"

 

This bit makes me laugh " OUR FISHING INDUSTRY IS WELL ON THE WAY TO RECOVERY FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE FISHING FAMILIES"

 

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Does this mean the cod are safe? and all the other species mentioned too? Or is this just another case of the industry putting a positive slant on a very dire situation so that they will be allowed to continue fishing for the very last fish?

[Andrew Boyd]

For decades commercial fishermen have said stocks are safe, do we belive them? NO.

[Norm B]

@winter@:

Ive just read a letter in my local paper from a  fisherman and NFFO president. What is NFFO?

 

In the article he claims "we now have the largest haddock spawning stock biomass, The largest ever recorded in the north sea."

 

"we also have larger whiting, nethrops, saith and angler fish stocks than previously seen"

 

" on the question of cod the spawning stock bio mass has increased year on year for the past 3 years. These are all ICES (scientists figures).

" the uk is the only member state that has come anywhere near the 65% reduction in cod mortality and the only one taking it seriously"

 

This bit makes me laugh " OUR FISHING INDUSTRY IS WELL ON THE WAY TO RECOVERY FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE FISHING FAMILIES"

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

Does this mean the cod are safe? and all the other species mentioned too? Or is this just another case of the industry putting a positive slant on a very dire situation so that they will be allowed to continue fishing for the very last fish?

:cool: I think it's another excuse to keep fishing until the last fish has been caught.

I printed a report a couple of months ago by, I think a Kent MP, to the effect that the cod around Dover, I think it was, shouldn't come under the North sea cod ban because they were a 'local' population and were in fact breeding so well that they were considered a 'pest species' by some.

I wondered at the time if he had a lot of commercial fishermen in his constituency and he needed their votes to survive. Perhaps I'm just a natural cynic.

 

[ 31. December 2004, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: Norm B ]

[Leon Roskilly]

@winter@:

Ive just read a letter in my local paper from a  fisherman and NFFO president. What is NFFO?

http://www.nffo.org.uk/index.shtml

 

TL - leon

[Guest jay_con]

All i get at that link leon is html.

 

Is he right about the cod increase leon? and increase in all the other species?

[Norm B]

@winter@:

All i get at that link leon is html.

 

Is he right about the cod increase leon? and increase in all the other species?

:cool: It worked OK for me.

[Guest jay_con]

Had to change browsers to view it.

 

Looks like these commercial guys have thier act together.

[Leon Roskilly]

There has been a slight increase in cod numbers this year, probably thanks to the closures and other measures over the last 3 years.

 

(But as fishermen claim that it is global warming, not overfishing that is the problem, that doesn't add up, does it? !!)

 

Nothing like the number that are required to bring the cod out of danger though

 

As some species decline, others do well.

 

It's called fishing down the food chain, and is a well known phenonomem.

 

Simplistically it works like this.

 

Take away the cod.

 

The species they ate (fry, spawn, adults) increase because they are no longer being eaten.

 

The species they compete with for food now have more food, so more survive.

 

So, it's not surprising that haddock and nephrops (prawns etc) have increased!

 

And nephrops have turned into a valuable alternative fishery. I doubt that many fishermen now enjoying a bonanza really want to see the cod come back and nephrops decline. They would then have to change all their gear, methods and markets and they are doing OK as things are - thank you very much!.

 

What has happened where fishermen have encountered this pehenomem in other parts of the world is that the new species increasingly become targeted as fishermen become more adept at catching them, and others pile into the 'new' booming fishery, and suddenly its gone! (but that's tomorrow's problem!)

 

 

Then you have natural variability. Even under natural conditions, populations will boom and crash from year to year.

 

That is one of the biggest problems and what causes the most arguments between fishermen and the scientific advice.

 

Every year is different, it's only when you draw a graph over 20 years, and see nearly every trough lower than the other, each peak lower than the peak before, that the true story emerges.

 

Hitting those peaks, in the belief that the good times are here again is just stupid, if you care about the long term, but what every fisherman with a mortgage desperately wants to do.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[gonefishing]

and for me

[Leon Roskilly]

Talk of crashing stocks, and doom and gloom has a lot of detrimental effects for the fishing industry.

 

Firstly, consumers start giving the fish counter a miss, doing their bit for conservation.

 

Next, banks etc are unwilling to grant mortgages and finance to fishermen, as their future long term financial viability if put into doubt.

 

Young lads, needed to crew the boats decide that they have a better future working in another industry, so labour becomes scarce and expensive.

 

Politicians and fishery managers, panicked by the stories of doom and gloom, start demanding more and more restrictions on fishing activity.

 

So, the industry has decided to fight back with its own propaganda war.

 

Anything that conveys a downbeat message is frowned upon, so talk of 'stock recovery measures' is replaced by 'seas teeming with fish, if only we were allowed to catch them'

 

'Plenty of fish, it's the CFP that's killing us' etc etc

 

Look out for much more of that 1984 Newspeak from fishermen and fishing organisations, in your local paper, your local radio interviews etc etc

 

And remember the public only believe what they are told, they know very little of the science and truth.

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

[ 31. December 2004, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]