Cod "doomed" due to climate change.

[skippytheroo]

Dear Mr. Goodwill,

 

 

I am writing in support of the Bass Management Plan that is currently in consultation.

 

I am a recreational Sea Angler and I believe this is a positive step by this government to acknowledge and recognize the worth and the input of this important sector of the fishing industry.

 

Since taking up the sport last year I have spent somewhere in the region of £1500 on equipment and also support my local shops regularly buying bait at approx £30- £40 a month. I enjoy Sea Fishing as it gives me chance to relax, de-stress and there is also the chance of a fish or 2 to take home for my supper.

 

The introduction of measures included in the plan will, hopefully give me the chance of catching larger specimens of fish and, from what I have read and discussed with other anglers and commercial fishermen, the benefits will be wide ranging on both sides. Whilst Bass fishing isn’t as productive on my area of the coast I am hoping that this consultation will result in recognition for Sea Anglers in future negotiations regarding fisheries management.

 

Main target species around where I live is Cod and I am sure you will agree that there are serious concerns regarding the state of the cod fishery in the North Sea. One of my main concerns is the discard rate of the Cod fishery when trawling. This problem is multiplied at certain times of the year when there are large numbers of juvenile cod gathered in a small area. My understanding is that the time when Herrings come into shore to spawn gathers codling large and small from miles around to feed on the copious food source provided by the Herring spawn. At these times the discard rate is up to 30% or more of juvenile fish that have not had chance to spawn that generally end up thrown back dead over the side of the boat. If these fish were allowed time to feed on the spawn and grow even for only a few years to enable them chance to spawn themselves we might maybe see an upturn in cod stocks.

What I would like to see is a ban on trawling in designated areas where it is known there are large concentrations of juvenile codling. Other, more sustainable, methods of fishing could still be allowed such as long lining and “rod and line” fishing as these do not carry the huge amount of discarded dead fish that trawling creates. Like the Bass plan all parties involved would benefit from an increase in the average size of fish that this proposal would create. I am amazed that, with Cod stocks so dangerously low, this practice of throwing dead undersized fish over the side of the boat is still being allowed to continue on such an alarming scale. Something needs to be done now to ensure Cod stocks do not collapse

 

I look forward to hearing your views on this.

[Guest binatone]

Binitone there is now 18 licenced charterboats working out of whitby in 2006 WHY you ask yourself is the reason that when 20years ago there was over 40 , the reason being myfriend is that DIRTY WORD OVERFISHING as what is in cefarse report its black and white mate.

 

kind regards and good fishing.

But as you say, if you put in the hard work and effort that is needed today to keep your anglers coming back, then there is still a living to be made?

Bit like commercial fishing then. There are not the fish today that there was yesteryear, there are not the anglers (decline of industry’s etc) do you agree? The anglers that do come would like return for there investment? (A day’s enjoyment, a days fishing, and hopefully a few fish at the end of the day for the pot) Do you agree? Is there ample fish being caught to keep these anglers happy on a yearly basis? If there is then what’s the problem? If there isn’t (and you are doing everything that is possible to catch these fish) then what do you think is the answer?

Stop what is left of the commercial fleet from fishing?

Hope that a few of your colleges stop operating so there is less competition?

If you are the hardest working skipper out of Whitby like you advertise then it does not look very rosy for the rest of them?

Do you mean that you work harder than any on else to find fish? Or do you mean that you spend more time working at sea than any other charter boat skipper?

Or do you mean that you find it harder than any one else to be a skipper? Am not sure on this one old salt? Must say that in all my years at sea I never heard a commercial skipper say that he was the most hard working skipper in the fleet?

Still as you say it’s all a bit of banter. If it gets you anglers then I suppose it does not matter what you say.

I suppose at the end of the day it’s a selling business, I have looked on quite a few charter boat web sites, there’s an awful lot of top skippers out there putting in that little extra effort for there customers.

You keep at it big cod, best of luck to you, praise your self as much as you want by all means, but don’t blame us every time you cannot produce what your customer expects.

[Guest binatone]

Binatone

 

If as has been reported on here is true about the 50% plus discard of undersize fish dead at herring spawn time that, to me, is unacceptable with fish stocks being so dangerously low. We, as stakeholders, should be doing all we can to ensure that fish survive to spawn at least once. Surely everyone can see that...........

 

It doesnt matter if there is 1 boat shovelling back 1000 undersize fish back a night or 50 boats shovelling back 50000 fish......

Skippytheroo.

I was asked by big cod what discard amounts I had witnessed in my career. I replied at max 2% of small codlings max.

That’s over 30 odd years. I said that I thought it was too much; we don’t want to see any discards go back over the side.

If you want to join big cod and some commercial fishermen that want this fishing (the spawney fishing) stopped then by all means go ahead with what you want.

Best thing to do is get yourself invited on one of the trawlers that want this fishing stopped next summer(at spawney time) arm yourself with a good cam corder. Make a record of the fishery take your evidence along with your petition to your defra representative and tell them of your plight.

I hope that you are successful. I hope that the few commercial fishermen that fish this fishery get compensation. I hope that there can be a better understanding of what commercial fishermen do, by first hand experience of the recreational angler to our industry.

I hope that you take a positive approach, I am sure you would not find any barriers to stop your plight.

Again good luck

[skippytheroo]

Well I can vouch for Big Cods hard work, tho I could not say he is the hardest working charter skipper in Whitby. After 2 disastrous trips out of brid with a skipper who really couldnt be bothered whether we caught fish or not, sat in the cabin all day. We failed twice trying to book with a boat out of Whitby due to the weather, to be honest all 3 of us tried and it was hard to understand what he was saying on the phone as he had a strange accent. Then we booked with Big Cod...... All 3 of us fairly green to boat fishing and BC spent a long time showing us the best rigs to tie and helping us out with technique......The best thing for me is you can tell in his face how desperate he is to catch fish, you can see his enthusiasm as he runs from the cabin to grab his rod after hes positioned the boat for a drift, and Winter is right he's a damn good angler He always seems to get just down the edge of the ledge every time Im sure anyone who's been out with him will tell the same story. We went out twice with Paul last year hoping to do the same again this year.....No we didnt leave with sacks of fish.....I had 2or 3 codling and a ling or 2 each time i went.......I was happy with that......any more and ive had got fed up filleting them......Its nice to get out for the day on the boat with a few mates and theres always the chance of a monster.......

[Guest binatone]

Well I can vouch for Big Cods hard work, tho I could not say he is the hardest working charter skipper in Whitby. After 2 disastrous trips out of brid with a skipper who really couldnt be bothered whether we caught fish or not, sat in the cabin all day. We failed twice trying to book with a boat out of Whitby due to the weather, to be honest all 3 of us tried and it was hard to understand what he was saying on the phone as he had a strange accent. Then we booked with Big Cod...... All 3 of us fairly green to boat fishing and BC spent a long time showing us the best rigs to tie and helping us out with technique......The best thing for me is you can tell in his face how desperate he is to catch fish, you can see his enthusiasm as he runs from the cabin to grab his rod after hes positioned the boat for a drift, and Winter is right he's a damn good angler He always seems to get just down the edge of the ledge every time Im sure anyone who's been out with him will tell the same story. We went out twice with Paul last year hoping to do the same again this year.....No we didnt leave with sacks of fish.....I had 2or 3 codling and a ling or 2 each time i went.......I was happy with that......any more and ive had got fed up filleting them......Its nice to get out for the day on the boat with a few mates and theres always the chance of a monster.......

Well good on ya

Hope that you catch a few more next year with big cod

You cannot beat a bit of effort.

[Guest @Winter@]

The last member of the public to take a camera anywhere near a trawler ended up black and blue and his camera in the drink, and before anyone thinks of denying that, dont bother, my neighbour ( a decent chap who doesnt condone such behaviour and will tell you the truth)was part of the crew of that boat and I had a conversion with the 2 lads who did the deed not so long back at his home. It aint no lie.

[skippytheroo]

Skippytheroo.

I was asked by big cod what discard amounts I had witnessed in my career. I replied at max 2% of small codlings max.

 

Im assuming that 2% is an average over the year.......Do you agree with the findings in the CEFAS report posted by Winter??

 

The project found high catch rates of mainly young cod (30 to 40 cm) up to a

maximum of 450 fish per hour

 

Discarding was highest at the fish-rich locations.

 

Cod were fairly uniform in size throughout the fishing area, mainly between 30

and 45 cm. These are most likely to be one and two year old fish.

 

If the results of this project are seen as typical of cod fishing in this area in all

years, the Yorkshire coast fishery would be regarded as predominantly an

immature fishery, providing information about the recruitment of cod to a very

localised are

 

.I know you have to make a living and I do know how hard fishermen work. Guy I work with used to be on a trawler with his dad and 2 others 12 years ago, 5 years later he cant make it pay so him and his dad do it together....still it doesnt pay so this guy quits and his dad struggles for a bit then sells his boat. My grandad used to long line from Scarborough in a rowing boat many years ago to make ends meet

 

Times change you must adapt to change with what life throws at you....you cannot continue indefinitely throwing back hundreds if not thousands of dead undersize fish over the side year after year and not expect the stock to collapse...these 1 and 2 yr old fish should be protected with everything we've got. More for your sake than for mine...........if I cant catch codling from the beach and rocks anymore Ill sell my tackle and take up chess for you the implications are far more wide ranging

[Guest @Winter@]

A strong sensible point there Skippy. The new Leon in the making

[big_cod]

Looks like no reply from the labtop .

[Jaffa]

Looks like no reply from the labtop .

 

 

Since your at your computer BC, any chance of an estimate of the cod that the Whitby charter fleet take in a year?