Consultation On Bass Mls Underway

[stavey]

Hello Stavey

I still don't know what you are on about.

 

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with no thought what so ever for the future stocks and they are taking them by the thousands and flogging them to pubs hotels and restaurants, they are destroying what little future both shore anglers and small inshore legit commercials may have.

 

sound like I ought to buy one of these nets and sell me boat, they seem to be earning more money than I am.

 

If they are netting illegally they should be stoped, if you feel they are affecting your shore angling complain to your local FC.

 

as far as I know it is not a problem here yet, and to say that commercials would not do anything about it if it was is stupid.

 

I've always found these reports to be hugely exagerated

 

 

No wurzel i aint stupid these reports are far from exaggerated, i have witnessed it with my own eyes matey, reported it and had a meeting with the sfc to boot about it, i dont just sit on here all day moaning about my issues, i do something about them and more, its the ar*hols that sit on the sfc's that dont want to do jack about it they are the ones as im sure you are aware peter that operate by giving let offs in a way of deterents rather than nailing their backsides to a heavy fine, what sort of policing is that? thats why the inshore is riddled with tax dodgers dole fiddlers ilegal imigrants and which ever other cowboy? who wants to go down the beach with a couple of boxes of gill nets to make a quick buck or two cash.

 

I would be very surprised if you have not got these type of mongrels down your way? if you have'nt then you will have soon and that goe's for anywhere here in the uk, wurzel you make me laugh mate like all commercials trying to hide behind the false facts that there never is a problem with fish stocks and everything in the garden is always rosy and when there might be a problem it is always some other person that has caused it, be a man now and then and admit you have made some mistakes and got a few let offs from your sfc in the past, its nothing to be ashamed of most fishermen have as i am always being led to believe that if they did not break the rules they would not survive alone on the eu quotas and such.........

[Leon Roskilly]

Thanks Marine Bill - That is really helpful

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Marine Bill]

Thanks Marine Bill - That is really helpful

 

Tight Lines - leon

The powers to regulate in the 6-12nm. zone are here:

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy

stating:

(11) In their 12 nautical mile zone, Member States should be allowed to adopt conservation and management

measures applicable to all fishing vessels, provided that, where such measures apply to fishing vessels from other Member States, the measures adopted are non-discriminatory and prior consultation has taken place, and that the Community has not adopted measures specifically addressing conservation and management within this area.

[wurzel]

Hello Stavey

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be a man now and then and admit you have made some mistakes and got a few let offs from your sfc in the past, its nothing to be ashamed of most fishermen have as i am always being led to believe that if they did not break the rules they would not survive alone on the eu quotas and such.........

 

I can honestly say I have never been warned or let off for any affence by any sfc. Quotas are not thier juristriction.

[Leon Roskilly]

I can honestly say I have never been warned or let off for any affence by any sfc. Quotas are not thier juristriction.

 

The Sea Fisheries Committee only enforces it's byelaws, mls, netting restrictions etc out to 6 miles.

 

Wurzel usually goes out a bit further than that!

 

Enforcement of quota, illegal selling of fish, log books etc are now enforced by the Marine Fisheries Agency ( http://www.mfa.gov.uk/ ).

 

 

Tight Lines - leon

[wurzel]

Hello Tom

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The point that is confusing me the most is , you state that by increasing the mls to 45cm will allow “Johnny foreigner” to exploit the 36-45 gap in the market and you want a level playing field .

 

So when you proposed the 40cm mls for bass at the Jan 05 meeting of the ESFJC , how would have that worked then ? What was your plan to stop the exploitation of the 36cm – 40cm gap

 

The 40 cm mls would have only applied within the 6 mile limit , so some uk boats could still catch 36cm bass outside 6 miles , but the small inshore boats who remain within the 6 mile would competing with “jonny foreigner” and other uk boats .

 

How would the level playing field that you ask for now, have worked then.

 

I was wondering if you or Steve would pick up on that, and it is a very good point.

 

Like you I think that 36 cm is too small, they are very vulnerable in the rivers and inshore grounds at this size, Every thing that is in the BMP concerning the LMS for bass , all the stuff about "why catch them at 36 when you need to catch half as many and they are worth more at 40 cm, OK not all have spawnd but most judging by what I see have, more fish would leave the nursery areas and survive to grow on, the bass stock would be made more robust and able to survive a couple of harder winters, all this stuff I've been mouning on about for at least 20 years to colleagues and sfc and dfra. As far as bass are concerned I am a bit of an annarrack.If I have a large haul of bass I feel sorry for them, I have often had a good haul of bass and steamed away happy to leave the rest alone, it has probably cost me thousands of pounds over the years. I can fill the boat with cod or soles and not give it another thought and quite happy to get back at them the next day, bass and I'll steam out in the oppisite direction the next day. pahaps its the angler in me, I don't know.

The only diffirence with the BMP is 5 cm , now 5cm to you might not seem a lot. but to me as a commercial fisherman it is a lot, and to an inshore fisherman it is egnormus.

In all the years I've been bass fishing I have never seen large amounts of bass 45 cm or over in shore in this area (Thames estuary other areas it might be diffirent), I agree if the bmp is implemented there will be more, but will there be more as enough for commercial fishermen to work on, I have my doubts and the inshore men are right to question the science.

 

Did you notice at that meeting the commercials present at first when they thought they would need to compromise all nodded in agreement to the 100 mm mesh and 40 cm mls, it was only after when they relised they would not need to that they backtracted. If a certain person who was sitting not far from me had not thrown his teddy out of the pram and had a tantrum but pressed on the advantage he stood a good chance of getting it in as a by law, at a stroke it would have protected the small fish close inshore, and in the Stour and Orwell.

Don't forget we new nothing of the bmp at that time.

 

As you say there is still the gap in the sizes offshore, but the gap between 36 and 40 is not quite so bad as 36 and 45. And most boats that work off shore do use bigger meshes.

 

The Foreiner issue is likley to cause concern whether the bmp is implemented or not, the French are building up a huge track record of catching bass, I would not mind betting that they will press the EU to make bass a pressure stock, they know that with thier historic record they will get the lions share of quota.

If the year classes comeing on are as big as they say, the Foreiners will take advantage of it.

[Toerag]

Wurzel - quick question, what size mesh are you currently using for your bassnets?

[Brian Carragher]

I think he's already said that he uses 4inch (100mm) mesh's

[wurzel]

Hello Fishingsfine

 

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However, the commercials' (short term) interests and worries are of less importance

 

Not if you happen to be an inshore bass fisherman.

 

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You have to remember that this is all about a management plan for a recreational fishery.

 

No it's not, it's all about a management plan to extract revenue from recreational fishermen.

 

My theory is the BMP will get watered down as to the least amount of opposition from the commercial sector and to the minimum amout as for anglers to accept a licence fee, DEFRA are experts at this, they have been doing it to us for years.

 

I might be wrong, we shall see.

[wurzel]

Hello fishingsfine

 

I'm not whineing, just stateing reality.