Toothless

[Marine Bill]

Article 31 (1) Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98.

The catching of marine organisms using methods oncorporating the use of explosives, poisonous or stupefying substances or electric current shall be prohibited.

 

Extant Law in the UK

[Ian Burrett]

hey ian why not take mally up in his offer of that rocket launcher!!! i know how much this makes you mad an your right 99% of MPs are only interesed if there getting there palms greased it makes me sick

 

Hi Guy

 

Not all MSP's I recieved the following letter this morning.

 

The Scottish Parliament

Alex Fergusson MSP Galloway & Upper Nithsdale

 

Mr Ross Finnie MSP

Minister for Environment and Rural Development Scottish Parliament

Holyrood

EH991SP

 

7th November 2005

 

Dear Ross

I write following a meeting with recreational sea anglers from my constituency who have raised a number of issues with me, not the least of which is their continued exclusion from SIF AG. I understand that there will be a revision of SIFAG's membership next year, and trust that the opportunity to correct this imbalance will not be missed.

Soon after its inception, the Welsh Assembly recognised the value of sea angling and invested significant amounts of money into the promotion of that activity within a Sustainable Fisheries Programme. Research shows that £69 million was generated for the Welsh economy on 2004/2005 by 58,687 fishing trips to Wales, of which £27.3 million was directly attributable to the Assembly's campaign.

Furthermore, DEFRA recognised the importance of recreational sea angling and include practitioners as stakeholders in the management of fish stocks. The recent threat to Tope in the South West Scotland, and the destruction of a recently arrived stock of sea bass by scallop dredging in Luce Bay 2 years ago merely serve to highlight the need to include all sides in discussions on these matters.

 

Clearly there is a great asset here which is not being fully utilised, and I would appreciate your comments on how this will be redressed.

Yours sincerely,

 

ALEX FERGUSSON MSP

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

If every angler in Scotland went to see their MP and asked him to write to Ross Finnie then things would happen much quicker.

Edited November 9, 2005 by Ian Burrett

[Snatcher]

All you can do is keep grinding away at them Ian. At least that letter shows some hope.

 

Proud of you,tack4 and all the rest of you. Keep the presure on. Anything I can do giz a bell

[wurzel]

Sorry to be a pain, I know you are all getting fed up of me tripping you up or peeing on your parades but,

Quote

and the destruction of a recently arrived stock of sea bass by scallop dredging in Luce Bay 2 years ago merely serve to highlight the need to include all sides in discussions on these matters.

 

How did scollop dredgers destruct a stock of sea bass.

[Ian Burrett]

This calls for a celebration. For the first time ever Wurzel I agree with you

It's called lack of research.

He actually meant Bream, as i had mentioned to him that the Clam dredgers had destroyed the boulder banks and we no longer caught bream in the area.

[Leon Roskilly]

The Isle of Man are putting in anti trawling devices to protect the scallop beds there.

 

See: http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/latest/index.php?view=429

 

 

TL - leon

[spanner]

So wurzel, you were asking about the long term effects of the dredging.

 

Any comment on Ian's description of the situation in Luce Bay?

 

Is he just exagerating it, will the boulders quickly re-orgasnise themselves into a reef naturally, will some other species rapidly move in to take advantage of this new flat environment, or has man created long term damage and had a lasting and negative impact on the ecosystem?

 

I know where my vote goes, I'm curious how you interpret this.

[big_cod]

The best device to stop any trwling of any kind would be to drop on the sea bed a barge load of granite rocks which they use to armour the sea defences you would never see any trawling in that area again ever.

[wurzel]

Morning Spanner.

 

I was asking because I know nothing about scallope dredging.We don't have them around my patch. I only know that they seem to cause grief with the local fishermen were ever they go.

 

I can't emagine them totaly destroying the ground beyoned repair, they would all be out of business with in a year if this was the case, there just aint enough places to fish new ground every day, there has been some very expencive large new builds for this fishery, dispite what you think you don't invest that sort of money for one big pay day, I know scallops are valuable, but they are not that valuable.

 

As for the situation in Luce bay it's hard for me to comment, I just had to look at the map to comfirm to myself where it is, I did not know bream were caught there.

From what you decribe or percieve you would have difficulty doing with a 50 ton Catiperllar earth moveing machine let alone a boat with some rakes on the end of a wire.

If a bream or a scallop is never caught there ever again, you could say the damage was lasting, if a new inviroment has been formed some thing will find it to thier advantage. time will tell.

 

As John Brennon explained Enghlish law prohibits the scallopers from working inshore, the beam trawlers and I think it applies to all trawlers with more than 300 hp have to stay out side 12 miles.

 

If this was the case, and I agree it should be , then the more senitive inshore ground like Luce bay would be protected.

[maximo]

ive seen dredged ground first hand on a mussel bed that bared off on big tides it went from being mud banks and hard scars to being just total flat mud flats.it has repopulated with mussel but the ragworm are not back yet 7 years later.