Rare bream faces further scrutiny

[Elton]

A NUMBER of fish claimed as UK records came before the British Record Rod Caught Fish Committee in London last week.

 

The list included Andrew Drysdale's alleged White Bream caught from the Atlantic shore by the Liskeard & District SAC member.

 

Full article here:

 

http://bit.ly/atW3Ib

[Dave B]

Interesting reference to the Angling trust near the bottom of that piece! I wonder what has happened to the records list?

[Vagabond]

I lost faith in the BRRCFC many years ago !

 

For Poseidon's sake !!! .... there exists a perfectly good identification book (in three volumes) called the "Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean" (FOTNEAM) Published by UNESCO. It even has diagrams of the dentition of each of the sea breams. The definitive work for UK seafish. Not cheap, but well worth the expenditure for someone seriously interested in fish identification - as BRRCFC should be.

 

In any case, surely enough anglers have caught this species in Gib or the Canaries for plenty of good photos to exist, it is not rare.

 

If I can afford a set of FOTNEAM , why can't the BRRCFC ? and USE it ?

 

I am frequently appalled at the very poor standard of fish recognition in anglers who regard themselves as "experienced" - quite recently a small gadid was caught and questions about its identity appeared on another forum. It so happened the lateral line did not show particularly well because of the angle of the shot.

 

A pectoral fin did show , however, which makes it astonishing that the argument as to whether it was a small pollack or a small whiting went on for pages. (about 50/50, but you can't settle a scientific answer by democratic vote) I was in Oz at the time, and only discovered the thread when I got back.

 

Just for interest - how would YOU tell a whiting from a pollack if the only clearly focussed shot included a pectoral fin? Answer tomorrow, and Davy Holt not allowed to answer! (I know he knows)

[Dave B]

Well... apart from the spot at the base of the pec, you can also tell the difference by looking at the tail - a whiting's is square while the pollack's is concave!

[Vagabond]

Well... apart from the spot at the base of the pec, you can also tell the difference by looking at the tail - a whiting's is square while the pollack's is concave!

 

Knew you wouldn't let the side down

BTW the tail wasn't visible on the pic in question.