Do sea angling 'reps' want more discards?

[Steve Coppolo]

With HFW's excellent programme the other night, which highlighted the discard scandal and actually pointed the finger of blame in the right direction, everyone should now be aware of how ridiculous current fisheries management really is. You've got scientists saying the fish stocks are on the verge of collapse, while fishermen are catching tons and tons of fish that aren't even supposed to exist, then having to dump them into the sea dead because the politicans and so called managers who, on the advice of the scientists assessments, have set quotas that are supposed to help the healthy stocks to recover! It's a farce!

 

But, what else can you expect from a system that relies on fishermen's landings to assess stocks of fish that fishermen aren't allowed to land? Crazy, isn't it?

 

What is even more crazy, though, is that those who claim to represent the country's sea anglers aren't satisfied with the current level of discarding. No, they want to increase it! They have actively campaigned, (and are still actively campaigning), to put a stop to by catch allowances for species that fishermen aren't allowed to land. Blinded by their hatred of commercial fishing and their desire to control and restrict others, our misrepresentatives have failed to see common sense. They, nor anyone else, will ever prevent by catch. Tope, Spurdogs and Undulate Rays will continue to be caught, but if there is no by catch allowance, they will be thrown back into the sea dead, along with all the fish that are caught over quota.

 

I wonder what Hugh and his ever increasing number of followers would make of that?

[Dan]

I certainly don't know the answer, but I guess one of the questions is, "Is the amount of discard less than the amount of fish that would be landed if there was a different system?" In other-words is the current policy actually helping stocks recover even though it would be quicker if none were caught at all?

 

As far as I can see we have 2 options: Limit days at sea, which may encourage boats to catch more and more in less time, or total quota, with acknowledgement of more sustainable fishing methods.

 

But what ever the solution I think that anglers and the commercial fleets should be working in the same direction, as you say increasing discards is not the solution.

 

Anyway I for one am going to be working much closer to the commercial fleet in the future if I can, I'm going to follow them in my boat with my landing net and pick up the discards!!

 

Dan

[Steve Coppolo]

I certainly don't know the answer, but I guess one of the questions is, "Is the amount of discard less than the amount of fish that would be landed if there was a different system?" In other-words is the current policy actually helping stocks recover even though it would be quicker if none were caught at all?

 

As far as I can see we have 2 options: Limit days at sea, which may encourage boats to catch more and more in less time, or total quota, with acknowledgement of more sustainable fishing methods.

 

But what ever the solution I think that anglers and the commercial fleets should be working in the same direction, as you say increasing discards is not the solution.

 

Anyway I for one am going to be working much closer to the commercial fleet in the future if I can, I'm going to follow them in my boat with my landing net and pick up the discards!!

 

Dan

 

 

Good idea, Dan!

[Elton]

According to news reports, the magic wand may be be waved this week and all discards will end:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-be-banned.html

 

Looks like a bureaucratic nightmare - levels of fishery management must be creaming their pants at the very prospect!

[Leon Roskilly]

Email that I had from the EU Fisheries Secretariat this morning

 

Strong incentives not to catch needed to curb discards

 

New urgency has been brought to efforts to halt discarding practices with the successful and very public Fish Fight Campaign, run by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the UK.

 

Perhaps spurred by the heated public debate, Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki is organising a meeting to discuss possible solutions with both Fisheries Ministers and representatives of the political groups in the European Parliament tomorrow. The Commission is likely to push for a discard ban, supported by some Member States.

 

It must be remembered, that while a discard ban might be one tool that can be used to curb wasteful practices, it does not tackle the root of the problem, namely that much is caught which is not wanted or over-quota. The key is to find innovative ways to avoid unwanted catches in the first place. With a discard ban, we otherwise risk creating new markets for juvenile fish as well as threatened species, which could well plunge already overfished stocks into a serious decline.

 

It would also be worthwhile to consider whether “hotspots” for discards, ie particularly unselective gear, should be phased out in favour of alternative fishing methods. One way to gradually do this is to build in a strong incentive for change by giving preferential access to the resources to those using the best available practices and technology. The ongoing CFP reform can and should provide the vehicle for this.

 

niki_skriv

Niki Sporrong

Director, Fisheries Secretariat (FISH)

[Worms]

Not a difficult problem to solve surely? increase net size to reduce undersize fish and allow sale of all fish landed. Quotas can stay the same!

[flapper]

What if commercial fishermen where put on lets say “100 ton” of what ever fish you want? You have to land everything you catch and you can have as many days per year to go and catch it?

Now surely a commercial fisherman would try and catch (largest) percentage of the most valuable fish that he could economically catch. He would have a certain amount of by catch but he would surely try and modify his gear to minimise this.

Just a suggestion Flapper.

[barry luxton]

According to news reports, the magic wand may be be waved this week and all discards will end:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-be-banned.html

 

Looks like a bureaucratic nightmare - levels of fishery management must be creaming their pants at the very prospect!

 

Here we have our government on the offensive, gawed how long has it took, will they actally do something for the bucks being spent, wasted. Or have they just joined the limelight, we're doing all we can bunch do like the comments section.

 

http://news.aol.co.uk/discuss-feed/governm...ssPageUrlAnchor

 

Excuse me Leon, this guy with the fancy fish title is he part of the management system. If so his comments to me indicate he has no idea if their management will work. More of the same perhaps?

 

quote fish face:

 

It must be remembered, that while a discard ban might be one tool that can be used to curb wasteful practices, it does not tackle the root of the problem, namely that much is caught which is not wanted or over-quota. The key is to find innovative ways to avoid unwanted catches in the first place. With a discard ban, we otherwise risk creating new markets for juvenile fish as well as threatened species, which could well plunge already overfished stocks into a serious decline.

 

It would also be worthwhile to consider whether “hotspots” for discards, ie particularly unselective gear, should be phased out in favour of alternative fishing methods. One way to gradually do this is to build in a strong incentive for change by giving preferential access to the resources to those using the best available practices and technology. The ongoing CFP reform can and should provide the vehicle for this.

 

niki_skriv

Niki Sporrong

Director, Fisheries Secretariat (FISH)

Edited March 1, 2011 by barry luxton