Fishing Eels in London

[Steve Coppolo]

With hindsight, and having read all that has gone before, I should have made this post at the beginning of the thread, so here it is now.

 

It is generally accepted amongst scientists, environmental organisations and bodies such as the EA that european eel stocks are close to, or may be at, a level that is biologically unsustainable. The Eel Management Plans that are now in place across the EU are intended to address this, but it may be too little, too late. In this circumstance, we (the National Anguilla Club) feel that to take even a single eel is morally incorrect, does not aid the survival of the species, and sends the wrong sort of message. Eels are arguably one of the finest eating fish but that is not a good reason for killing a fish that is in a precarious position. Bear in mind, too, that the eel cannot be bred in captivity. The whole stock relies on succesful spawning in the Sargasso. We cannot make up any shortfall. As for taking the odd eel from stillwater making no difference, we should remember that, once they have reached sexual maturity, eels will return to the sea to spawn at any size or age, if conditions are correct, and they are given the opportunity. So that odd one taken could be, or grow into, a big female that will produce huge quantities of spawn, and it might just tip the balance.

 

Buying a tub of jellied eels, or a pack of eel sections for bait doesn't help either, because we feed the commercial operation, which operates on a supply and demand basis.

 

Commercial eel fishing is only one of the threats facing the eel: climate change, pollution, barriers on rivers, predation, pollutants, disease-you name it, the eel is affected by it. I implore all thinking anglers not to add to the list.

 

So the plea is: Put all eels back, and do not buy them to eat or use as bait. The loss of one species from the system would be disastrous, and will impact on many other species. If you catch an eel by accident or design, always put it back, even if you cannot remove the hook. They do survive, and have a remarkable ability to shed hooks. If you are fishing for them deliberately, strike at the earliest opportunity, and use barbless hooks. For more info, see: www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk

 

Mark Salt

 

General Secretary, National Anguilla Club

It just seems a bit pointless telling anglers that they shouldn't take a single eel to eat, or even buy a tub of jellied eels, when the elvers are caught on a commercial scale and sold as a delicacy. With regard to the threat to eels, anglers must come bottom of the list. It's the same with the sea angling bodies and special species groups we've got now, all telling us that we should be careful what we take. If the stocks are so under threat, tackle the real issues first, then come after the anglers - if you must. Until then, I'm going to continue to eat eels, bass, cod and any other food fish I catch that take smy fancy. I wish people would stop getting so precious over a fish.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Steve Coppolo

[lutra]

It just seems a bit pointless telling anglers that they shouldn't take a single eel to eat, or even buy a tub of jellied eels, when the elvers are caught on a commercial scale and sold as a delicacy. With regard to the threat to eels, anglers must come bottom of the list. It's the same with the sea angling bodies and special species groups we've got now, all telling us that we should be careful what we take. If the stocks are so under threat, tackle the real issues first, then come after the anglers - if you must. Until then, I'm going to continue to eat eels, bass, cod and any other food fish I catch that take smy fancy. I wish people would stop getting so precious over a fish.

I agree that the few eels taken by anglers will probably have little or no effect, but how can we criticize others if we take them are self. The pot calling the kettle black and all that.

[Steve Coppolo]

I agree that the few eels taken by anglers will probably have little or no effect, but how can we criticize others if we take them are self. The pot calling the kettle black and all that.

 

No, I'm not having that. I don't see how an angler taking a few fish for the pot can be compared to commercial netters taking kilos of elvers on a regular basis for profit.

[lutra]

No, I'm not having that. I don't see how an angler taking a few fish for the pot can be compared to commercial netters taking kilos of elvers on a regular basis for profit.

Im not trying to say it is the same, but wrong is wrong be it 1 wrong or 1000 wrongs.

[Steve Coppolo]

Im not trying to say it is the same, but wrong is wrong be it 1 wrong or 1000 wrongs.

 

I agree that wrong is wrong. I just don't consider that an angler taking a few fish for the pot is wrong.

[lutra]

I agree that wrong is wrong. I just don't consider that an angler taking a few fish for the pot is wrong.

I think Budgie worded what i was trying to say better.

 

I take Lutras point that as anglers we need to be "whiter than white" if we wish to fight against the commercial fishermen

But i would have been happy if it had said,

I take Lutras point that as anglers we need to be seen as "whiter than white" if we wish to fight against the commercial fishermen.

[Angly]

Surely the point is that one person taking one eel for the pot may well be fine, but when you add all the other 'one person's together, that's a lot of eels, and eels are currently on the 'threatened (critically endangered)' conservation status. There is only one more conservation status before extinct!

[lutra]

Surely the point is that one person taking one eel for the pot may well be fine, but when you add all the other 'one person's together, that's a lot of eels, and eels are currently on the 'threatened (critically endangered)' conservation status. There is only one more conservation status before extinct!

Well dont look at me, Im in Budgies "I dont eat them" club.

[Dave Smith]

Steve, we wouldn't have a problem with people taking fish for the pot IF the source was sustainable.... unfortunatley for a varity of reasons the current Eel population isn't sustainable.

 

hopefully the EMP's will have an effect,

 

UK Eel Management Plans (EMP's) http://www.defra.gov.uk/marine/freshwater/fishman.htm#EELS

Irish EMP http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0212/eel.html

 

until the Eel population recovers (if it ever will) we ask that all Eels are returned.

you're right that anglers will have a very little impact in the grand scheme of things, but

every little helps.

[Leon Roskilly]

see:

 

http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/country/...hing.html#part1

Edited March 23, 2009 by Leon Roskilly