Netsmen Harvesting Mullet

[Vagabond]

Norma and I walked round the Arne Nature Reserve yesterday morning. From the shore I could see a chap in a small boat out in the western part of Poole Harbour pulling in a net. Got my Zeiss binoculars on him, and could see the fish coming aboard. Don't know how many he had had before I focussed in, but I counted exactly 20 mullet whilst I was watching (Norma, also watching, confirmed that number) - all in the 3 to 5 lb bracket, one or two possibly bigger.

 

It happens, here and elsewhere, and has been happening for as long as I can remember, yet there has never been a shortage of mullet anywhere - fishmongers sell a lot of mullet in Newhaven and Brighton. This might suggest that mullet stocks are more resilient than some would have us believe.

[captain cojones]

There is a big wetland near Valencia called the Albufera. Its stuffed full of mullet, eels and black bass. (and birds) Its been netted for centuries, by generations of the same families.

The number of boats/licences are strictly controlled, mullet are harvested every year, with no problem.

[Leon Roskilly]

In UK waters a 3lb mullet has just about reached breeding age after 10 long years of slow growing whilst avoiding predators and nets etc. (Down in the med they grow at twice that rate).

 

Having completed that long haul to reach spawning age, she will only spawn every other, or every third year.

 

A 5lb mullet is probably getting on for 15 years old, and when taken will never become a 7lb specimen in a few years more, or a magical 10lber.

 

And between spawning migrations most mullet tend to inhabit a particular locality throughout their long lives.

 

 

The good news is that mullet that have reached spawning age will produce huge numbers of eggs, especially the larger veteran spawners.

 

So, for mullet eaters there should'nt be a shortage (providing that commercial exploiters don't start hitting the mullet stocks hard, because there is little else left for them to take).

 

 

But sportsfishing enthusiasts, looking for a chance to catch a fish worth talking about from a locality that is being netted, maybe one of those specimens that take nature decades to replace, they may not fare so well.

 

 

 

Of course it doesn't really matter to the netsman out earning his living.

 

But it does to those whose own livelihoods depend on the availability of a quality recreational fishery.

 

 

Pity the poor decision makers who have to weight the balance of best benefit to society from a shared common resource, used in different ways by different interests.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Leon Roskilly

[chesters1]

Norma and I walked round the Arne Nature Reserve yesterday morning. From the shore I could see a chap in a small boat out in the western part of Poole Harbour pulling in a net. Got my Zeiss binoculars on him, and could see the fish coming aboard. Don't know how many he had had before I focussed in, but I counted exactly 20 mullet whilst I was watching (Norma, also watching, confirmed that number) - all in the 3 to 5 lb bracket, one or two possibly bigger.

 

It happens, here and elsewhere, and has been happening for as long as I can remember, yet there has never been a shortage of mullet anywhere - fishmongers sell a lot of mullet in Newhaven and Brighton. This might suggest that mullet stocks are more resilient than some would have us believe.

it probably is the same for everything ,giving the impression that something (anything) is "scarce" tends to hike up the price making it "healthy" hikes it up more and if you can get it to "aphrodisiac" status it makes a mint ,oysters were the staple diet of the poor ,so plentiful huge piles of shells abound in historical site ,sadly they became "aphrodisiac" status and the poor couldn't afford them

like the farmer nearby that landfills fields of leeks every year to keep the price up having a quantity of anything tends to make it cheap and thus less profit

Edited September 21, 2010 by chesters1

[barry luxton]

Sounds very much to me the type of commercial fishing thats needs applauding not decimating. Unlike the E U's cfp, don't matter how much they fart around with it, it will still be not fit for purpose. So the likes of the doo gooders, who think they are acheiving something from the bottom up with banning this and that from this and that local area, 'p' ing up the wrong tree.

[Vagabond]

Sounds very much to me the type of commercial fishing thats needs applauding

 

 

Absolutely - the point I was making - mullet netting of this type has been going on as long as I can remember - and prime mullet are as plentiful as ever. Ten pounders have never been plentiful, whether netting goes on or no.

 

 

 

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[Ken Davison South Wales]

As a kid sixty years ago my parents would take us down to Sandbanks at the weekend during the summer period.

 

Each weekend two chaps would row out with a net and back in and would haul out fifty or so mullet mixed with other fish which they would sell on the beach. My dad would always buy from them and as this was once a week very sustainable.

 

Over the next twenty years I fished Poole Harbour and the bay more and more frequently and netting in the harbour amount to a few Poole canoes using stake nets mainly for the flatties and this was far from intensive. There was never a shortage of fish for the angler and vast shoals of mullet could be seen patrolling the harbour waters.

 

My brother Alan still lives local and still fishes the harbour with his small boat and from the shore. Things have changed over the years, flatties are very thin on the ground, as are decent bass, plus the once easily seen shoals of mullet are very hard to spot.

 

The problem is the lack of control, anyone can purchase a legal net and catch a few hundred fish to improve their income. This deprives the genuine inshore full time boys of their living and avoids the tax man.

 

Dave was the boat registered? PE number on the bow.

 

I firmly believe anyone who has a net should have a license and anyone selling a net to a non-licensed person should be fined a large sum of money.

 

Sorry to go on but it is a pet hate of mine.

Edited September 26, 2010 by Ken Davison South Wales

[barry luxton]

Reinforces the argument that this type of atisanal fishing is sustainable, good for the public, can't get better than selling off the beach as opposed to importing frozen dirge. Why don't you see more licenced fishermen selling off the beach, not enough profit perhaps. If so it would be a shame to offer further restrictions to the ones who do? Can't see the point of a licence for non powered boats etc, as todays problem isn't with this type of fishing. Ever since the E U took control and now owns the uk stock it has been a downhill ever since. The problem is from top down in my mind regarding any shortages. The tax man, is another subject, to class all non-licenced as cheating the tax man is a bit iffey, it's upto each person to declare income or not. How would a licence prevent someone from putting the cash straight into the back pocket in any event?

Edited September 26, 2010 by barry luxton

[slitshot]

Poole Harbour is practicaly devoid of Mullet there are some in the marina and some etremley large Mullet floating about but the stock fish 3 to 5lb all but gone. Someone counted 17 Dinghys with nets in Poole harbour this is not sustainable fishing. Remember the Flounders the Mullet are going the same way