Fishermen Not Happy With The BBC

[barry luxton]

When these new Inshore Fisheries committies come into being with new emphasis on conservation and management of the stock for all then I believe we'll see that committee being able to close sections or box's to certain types of fishing, ie the spawning areas, on the basis of conservation measures but that they'll only be able to do so for a time limited period but if they get it right they can box areas before during and until after the spawming takes place

 

If they do that and i think they'll be obligated by law to do just that, then conservation measures like that will have enourmous advantages to both the anling and commercial sectors in the years to come

 

 

Are you talking about yet more closures Brian? Over and above this lot below. Hope the new committees will have a bit more sence than in the example of banning Pat Carlins angling boat in fishing his home waters in the name of conservation. Some how i won't hold me breath. Have you looked at the the site that is doing the recruiting, it is ok if you have a degree in tree hugging, land lubbers, uni qualified, yet anglers are decidedly last on the pecking order list. Wondering during the interviews if they ask them if they have actually stepped on a boat before.

 

This government have given quangos, ngo's loads of dosh to come up with areas, voted, picked out, helped by tom cobly, i.e. in the mcs case the co-op's 60,000 plus shoppers. All this will acheive is to close areas of sea that hasn't a hope in hell's chance of doing anything for the better. BTW, these closures are the ones that the A T have advised the rsa to put their 'trust' in the mcs. In other words they have washed their hands of it and the rsa are going to rely on the co-op.

 

How can anyone agree to offer restrictions as the way forward. These quangos do not have any remit other than to offer up closure, in the areas that has not been chosen by science but by a straw poll. How many spawning areas will be chosen? If you look at the mcs's jewles, i don't think any are. Many of those are areas that trawlers and draggers never visit in any event.

 

The government and all the hangers on have run out of ideas to manage. I agree with Wurzel, for the better? Tell me what benifits lundy has shown after five years, even the guys running it have stated that they need 30-40 years to confirm sucess. Was the wrong area chosen? The divers and a few lobsters don't think so, anyone else? So these experts now take great pleasure in shooing away anglers. That is what this all seeing, all knowing government acheive.

 

mr mark7 will see this as a rant. I see it as nearer the truth.

Edited February 13, 2010 by barry luxton

[Brian Carragher]

Are you talking about yet more closures Brian? Over and above this lot below. Hope the new committees will have a bit more sence than in the example of banning Pat Carlins angling boat in fishing his home waters in the name of conservation. Some how i won't hold me breath. Have you looked at the the site that is doing the recruiting, it is ok if you have a degree in tree hugging, land lubbers, uni qualified, yet anglers are decidedly last on the pecking order list. Wondering during the interviews if they ask them if they have actually stepped on a boat before.

 

Yes Barry I am talking about closure of certain areas at certain times and I would support such an idea if it was conservation based and one whose only aim was to prevent keel boats (still call them that), big trawlers from going through the spawning biomass and bulking up

 

As has already been described when the trawl gets full of bulk it does'nt matter how big the mesh's are as nothing escapes and the biggest percentage of whats caught goes back over the side dead including small cod that although size have no commercial value and undersized fish of other species that interest anglers

 

If a tempory box can be established to prevent trawling and I am only talking about trawling here, then the biomass of spawning fish and recruitment of juvenile and just immature breeding stock of all species can be protected at a time when they're at most vunerable risk of being caught as they're preoccupied and concentrated on feeding on the herring spawn

 

In case you've misread what I've wrote then again I'll state that such a box would only exist when the herring gather to spawn and would be resinded when the spawning mass dissapears taking with it the biomass of fish that have been feeding on it

 

Makes sense to me

[big_cod]

Yes Barry I am talking about closure of certain areas at certain times and I would support such an idea if it was conservation based and one whose only aim was to prevent keel boats (still call them that), big trawlers from going through the spawning biomass and bulking up

 

As has already been described when the trawl gets full of bulk it does'nt matter how big the mesh's are as nothing escapes and the biggest percentage of whats caught goes back over the side dead including small cod that although size have no commercial value and undersized fish of other species that interest anglers

 

If a tempory box can be established to prevent trawling and I am only talking about trawling here, then the biomass of spawning fish and recruitment of juvenile and just immature breeding stock of all species can be protected at a time when they're at most vunerable risk of being caught as they're preoccupied and concentrated on feeding on the herring spawn

 

In case you've misread what I've wrote then again I'll state that such a box would only exist when the herring gather to spawn and would be resinded when the spawning mass dissapears taking with it the biomass of fish that have been feeding on it

 

Makes sense to me

 

 

It makes sense brian but bobody is listening they dont want to unless it suits them its a scandal whats been going on for years.

 

paul.

Edited February 13, 2010 by big_cod

[wurzel]

then the closure of a box for a small period of time would be of benefit to commercial boats 100 moles or so North and South of any spawning area

 

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.

[Guest challenge]

Hello Clive

 

The 95/96 year class was exceptional for the whole North Sea, the slaughter you describe took place in a very small sector of it.

 

What mesh size were these weapons of mass destruction using?

 

I remember when I was fishing from Whitby around 92/3 some boats were rewarded with no loss of days at sea for using bigger meshes, 110 ml I think against restricted fishing on 90 ml, the boats using the 110 ml landed a nice run of fish with no rounders, this was an voluntary increase in mesh size by the industry.

If I remember the EU with some daft idea about trying to protect cod claimed the boats using the bigger meshes were targeting and catching to many cod so turned it about so that the boats using 90 ml were unrestricted and those using the bigger meshes severely restricted, so every body ended up using the smaller meshes fishing for bulk e.g. chat haddock and whiting with the mass of discards that went with it.

To target just cod now the boats have to use 120 ml mesh nets and are severely restricted on the amount of days they can fish.

What you also forgot to mention here wurzel is that the fleet and catching potential is 90% less than what it was back in 92. If fish was to turn up in mass in isolated areas like it did back then it would be luck more than judgement that would help the small amount of trawlers left locating it.

Regards.

[wurzel]

Thats an absolute corker peter a certain gentlman of very high profile has been sticking the knife in for the charterboats big style and has been doing so with the poweres that be even as far as brussels the same gentlman also did it with this guy for a long time now over fishing has had a massive affect and he agreed he also said that anglers pose no threat in real terms to the marine enviroment people are sick to there back teeth of how fishing has gone over last 10 years and it gets worse every year all this bullshit about cod recovery it aint happening i wish it was unless something remarkable happens in the next few years what the sciencetists have been saying for years now (and nobody has took a bit of notice) thats cod could go over the edge i would never have belived it with the sheer amount of cod what used to be off our coasts i look to the future not like the some all today **** tommorow there is a lot of very small juvenile cod at the momment off our coast lets hope things improve dramaticly for the good of everybody.

 

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.

[stevieg]

Thats an absolute corker peter a certain gentlman of very high profile has been sticking the knife in for the charterboats big style and has been doing so with the poweres that be even as far as brussels the same gentlman also did it with this guy for a long time now over fishing has had a massive affect and he agreed he also said that anglers pose no threat in real terms to the marine enviroment people are sick to there back teeth of how fishing has gone over last 10 years and it gets worse every year all this bullshit about cod recovery it aint happening i wish it was unless something remarkable happens in the next few years what the sciencetists have been saying for years now (and nobody has took a bit of notice) thats cod could go over the edge i would never have belived it with the sheer amount of cod what used to be off our coasts i look to the future not like the some all today **** tommorow there is a lot of very small juvenile cod at the momment off our coast lets hope things improve dramaticly for the good of everybody.

 

paul.

 

Hello Paul

 

How old was the very impressive cod catch piccy which you posted on WSF recently, and very quickly had removed. It didn't strike me as fitting in too well with the doomsday scenario which you regularly seem to portray........

[cleeclive]

Hello Clive

 

The 95/96 year class was exceptional for the whole North Sea, the slaughter you describe took place in a very small sector of it.

 

What mesh size were these weapons of mass destruction using?

 

I remember when I was fishing from Whitby around 92/3 some boats were rewarded with no loss of days at sea for using bigger meshes, 110 ml I think against restricted fishing on 90 ml, the boats using the 110 ml landed a nice run of fish with no rounders, this was an voluntary increase in mesh size by the industry.

If I remember the EU with some daft idea about trying to protect cod claimed the boats using the bigger meshes were targeting and catching to many cod so turned it about so that the boats using 90 ml were unrestricted and those using the bigger meshes severely restricted, so every body ended up using the smaller meshes fishing for bulk e.g. chat haddock and whiting with the mass of discards that went with it.

To target just cod now the boats have to use 120 ml mesh nets and are severely restricted on the amount of days they can fish.

Hi Wurzel, I am not sure what happened at tehe EU end regarding this but regardless of what they came up with there would have been a significant delay from a problem being identified to a reaction by which time a lot of damage would have been done, and the scientists would have wanted lots of data to play statistics with before they did anything. In my view the minute the boats enter a fishery that is full of 2 year olds just below mls something needs doing to reduce the damage to what may well be marketable next season. I know that this will never be achieved by the EU or DEFRA, and I doubt if the new powers being given to the redundant SFCs will be able to react that quickly either.

 

We don't hear much about this French Armada that invades the Yorkie coast each year with a whiting quota, something that seems to be a bit hush hush by the powers that be , but my mate with a lobster boat out ofg Brid fills me in a bit. Does anyone no the score on this one

Clive

[big_cod]

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

Peter i know nothing about it and you do my lord i have heard it all you worked at whitby for 3 years why did you leave did get all your gear towed away there is on think for sure i am most deferently not totally against all commercial fishing takeing longlineing for instance that method of commercial fishing has to be the way forward it has little or no discards and should be encouraged with more quota even gillnetting your treasured method of fishing is actually more conservaton mined but probably the most disliked by anglers you say its best fishing for years in your little part of the north sea i hope your right but it must be a tinny winny bit different than the rest happy fishing in your own little world.

 

paul.

Edited February 14, 2010 by big_cod

[wurzel]

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.