Barbel Welfare

[peter mccue]

Ayjay,

 

If they're genuine figures, then that's just ridiculous, fishmongers not anglers :mad:

[Guest wotsit]

peter mccue:

 

quote:

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 I would be in favour of a ban on keeping fish over a certain size in keepnets, it being a pointless barbaric practice that I believe has no place in modern specimen hunting.  

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Quite agree, shame it was over dramatised.

[Guest wotsit]

peter in reply to post i am not a barbel fisher, i fish for what ever comes along, its just because its barbel every is up in arms wherese if it had been bream carp roach no one would bat an eyelid i personally would like to see a complete ban on keepnets .but where would that leave the matchmen as for barbel the biggest i have caught was 4/2 in a match i would not know how to go about catching a big one tho a mate of mine caught a 14/2 from the derwent i took the photos

[peter mccue]

As I've said Wotsit, personally I have no problems with keepnets providing certain criteria is met. I do sympathise with your central point though, people have a tendency to focus on the welfare of their favourite species & disregard the greater picture.

[Dick Dastardly]

Andy,what do you mean theres no barbell up your way? I thought the Endrick had loads of em........

[Will Wilkinson]

Good to see Barbel welfare being promoted, poor handling's not a problem where I fish these days but I've seen plenty of examples when I used to fish the Severn a few years ago.

 

I don't agree with a complete ban on keepnets or match angling, however I do think that the current minimum keepnet size is way too small. Also many anglers fail to position their nets properly, I've seen nets where only the last 3 rings were in the water. I don't often use a keepnet these days [used to do a lot of match fishing, but got bored after taking all but one of the trophies in the match group I was in one year - small group, but the alternatives were far too serious with weekly "practice" sessions, plus 1-2 matches/week], but when I do I use a 4m 22x20" net with carp sacking on the last 1.5m. I don't keep carp over 2lb or barbel in the net, but have had over 100lb of bream in it, all returned safely with no apparent damage.

 

Will

[Guest rabbit]

Re keepnets on my original posting on the subject, I thought it might be worth considering, (like fishamania) to weigh and release every hour or so. Is this the only match on the circuit that has this rule, Or is only because it's a televised event?

Also, does anyone consider that regular matches on rivers actually improve the sport?

[lyn]

I would have thought every anglers main aim should be fish welfare, should it not???

 

My club promotes fish care/welfare to ALL it's members, no one is allowed to fish for pike until they have attended a 'pike teach in' and had their permit stamped. At these you are taught how to hold a pike to unhook it and all the advice needed to help a 'delicate' fish be returned to the water to fight another day.

 

I hold a junior barbel teach in every year so that the kids know how to return another 'delicate' fish back to the river to fight another day.

 

Steve Burke has written and advised us all on here on the care needed when unhooking perch, another 'delicate' fish.

 

I could go on and on, the reason we all do this is becuse NOT everyone knows how to handle fish correctley and there are a few, like the ones above that need a bit more care and attention.

 

For those with all the abuse on this thread, no one was telling you what to do, it is just some helpful advice for those that do not know. Yes there are some on here that 'don't know it all!!!

 

Steve, I will down load it and hand out to all the kids in a couple of weeks. Don't get the mags much these days but well done on your 7 - 14.

 

lyn

[Weary-one]

From what I understand 'recommendations' are just that, however after 10 years of dealing with barbel issues I would have thought that the B.S. would speak with some authority on the welfare of the species, and I am in no doubt that Steve and his colleagues have only that at heart.

 

It would seem that some might even have us go back to the bad old days when anglers clipped the fins of barbel to make life easier at the weigh-in on matches.

 

Successive governments have recommended that people give up smoking, but there are still the stupid amongst us. Some anglers still use keepnets...

[peter mccue]

Condemnation not education eh John