Are You Serious?

[Bob Jerunkel]

Shame someone couldnt get you a pic of a trawlers discards. If you worry so much about the daiwa match youd have a fecking heart attack if you saw what goes back over the side dead from the commercial sector.

 

Thats why I wanted to know if you people were serious about sustainable fishing or not.

Commercial fishermen included.

If this is the case then raising landing sizes is the first and most important thing we need to work together on.

If anglers still want to fish matches and land a bag full of little fish for a trophy and commercials won't use bigger mesh then were wasting our time.

If anglers are prepared to make a few short term sacrifices but the commercial fishermen aren't, then we must forget any alliance between the two and use our energy to fight against commercial fishermen.

The average size of fish has plummetted in a short space of time.

The commercial fishermen seem happy to accept this but they don't seem to have realised that the majority are caught below the size where they have bred.

If things continue the way they are we won't end up with smaller still fish.

We'll end up with none.

[sam-cox]

most commercials would I feel take all the fish today and sod working tomurrow.

Most are greed stricken gits who would sell their grand mothers if they could get a good price per stone.

[Norm B]

most commercials would I feel take all the fish today and sod working tomurrow.

Most are greed stricken gits who would sell their grand mothers if they could get a good price per stone.

How much per stone does a grand mother fetch?

[maidstonemike]

When you think how few fish anglers catch in a year collectively, It probably wouldn't equal one trawlers by-catch for one day. The tiny tiny amount anglers take for the table is like a pin prick on the planet.

It's anglers who fish for a living, catching Bass and selling them that do some damage. The leisure angler has so little impact fishing from the shore, (not boat, they massacre fish) that it's not woth mentioning.

[Norm B]

When you think how few fish anglers catch in a year collectively, It probably wouldn't equal one trawlers by-catch for one day. The tiny tiny amount anglers take for the table is like a pin prick on the planet.

It's anglers who fish for a living, catching Bass and selling them that do some damage. The leisure angler has so little impact fishing from the shore, (not boat, they massacre fish) that it's not woth mentioning.

I agree with that but the commercials argument is that with 1,000,000 sea anglers, if they only catch 20lb of fish a year each, multiply that by 1,000,000 and that's a lot of fish. A pretty spurious argument I know as a lot of anglers only fish a couple of times a year and some catch nothing or put their fish back but anyone wanting to support the commercials or denigrate RSA then it's an argument they'll happily use. We need to push the discards and by-catch facts, pure waste. No discards, they land them as they're dead, they sell them and they come off their quoto, watch the mesh sizes go up then.

[Bob Jerunkel]

Still seems to me that anglers are not prepared to change the way they do things but expect commercial fiushermen to change their ways.

Who does the most damage is irrelevant.

The point is we need to get landing sizes increased across the board before we see any improvement.

So can I take it that anglers are not prepared to only take mature fish and won't accept bag limits?

 

Lack of comments from the commercial fishermen who use this site speaks volumes.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Bycatch has always been a sticking point on all debates following these lines.

 

As RSAs we have to accept that whether we like it or not no matter how big the mesh there will be bycatch.

 

I think the answer could be to land the total catch, this way you have a cross section of the fish population and not wiping out one generation.

 

Just a thought, and that is what you require to form a basis for an alliance.

[Norm B]

Bycatch has always been a sticking point on all debates following these lines.

 

As RSAs we have to accept that whether we like it or not no matter how big the mesh there will be bycatch.

 

I think the answer could be to land the total catch, this way you have a cross section of the fish population and not wiping out one generation.

 

Just a thought, and that is what you require to form a basis for an alliance.

I'm more than happy to accept bag limits and increased size limits, as long as the commercial sector has to make sacrifices too. Larger mesh, larger MLS, no discards, no go areas during breeding seasons etc. all will bring improved stocks but it will hurt at first.

[John Edwards]

Hello gents,

A very interesting thread with many common interests at heart.

I am a RSA Representative for South & South West Wales, There were 3 of us covering Wales now we are down to 2, Mid wales and S&SW Wales.

We have a voice in the stakeholders group and we have actively viewed the no10 Report by Blair (and renewed it) and we are now moving on to net Benefits etc. The welsh assembly Government (WAG) have appointed Carwyn Jones MP for fisheries and he covers commercial and RSA and inland fisheries etc.

We have moved on and are happy to take on bag limits for RSA Anglers: meaning pleasure and recreational anglers. you then have Commercial fishermen who also have their views and so far a common interest has come to light The "Black Market Fisherman" he will fish all day without a license and sell his catch for money not declaring tax. This is where the Buyers and Sellers come into it. Without being registered the Fisherman cannot sell his catch and the person who is trying to buy the fish has to have a log for each fish he has in the fridge or on the counter for sale. This will also apply to hotels Chinese restaurants or any other outlet. If caught the seller or buyer will face a hefty fine also imprisonment, fishing vessels may be confescated and the establishment even closed.

It might sound a bit harsh but this starting by the New year 2006

Also a marine enforcement committee will be put in place either Fishries as before only supped up or the EA or a separate Marine Enforcement team, these will have the powers to board arrest and remove people or equipment as previous by DEFRA officials.

Rod Licensing may be used to resource this team but if enforcement is in place then i would pay £20 per year for a license to fund it.

 

Jonboy

Edited October 22, 2005 by John Edwards

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Hi John and welcome to the forum.

 

I agree 100% John and £20 to £25 per year is a small price to pay.