has the world gone mad?

[DonnieK]

i'm a commercial fisherman who spends most of his spare time with a rod in his hand, i fish for cod, dabs and everything (except bass) in between. i have to smile to my self when i think of the old days when it would be laughable to suggest that anyone, other than those activly involved in the fishing industy, would have any say in its running. it now seems that if you're green or catch bass you can dictate how things should be done.

i remember a story about a scottish sea loch, the enviromentalists thought that the habitat was so wonderful that it should be preserved for future generations, they thought that trawling was so destructive that should be totally banned within the area. There was one problem, the area has been trawled for about 40 years, prior to that time it had been stagnent and full of algal bloom, the 'wonderful enviroment' had, in effect, been created by the commercial activy. without trawling, the area would become stagnent again

this site seems keen to hammer the commercials, all i can say is that those who condem should remember that most of those involved in the commercial sector are hard working, honest and do care about the stocks. perhaps you should picture yourselves on a saturday morning, the weather is crap, you have well planned day of sport fishing, but just can't be bothered. it might be worth considering the men who have no choice but to rise and go to sea just to make a living.

[Norm B]

i'm a commercial fisherman who spends most of his spare time with a rod in his hand, i fish for cod, dabs and everything (except bass) in between. i have to smile to my self when i think of the old days when it would be laughable to suggest that anyone, other than those activly involved in the fishing industy, would have any say in its running. it now seems that if you're green or catch bass you can dictate how things should be done.

i remember a story about a scottish sea loch, the enviromentalists thought that the habitat was so wonderful that it should be preserved for future generations, they thought that trawling was so destructive that should be totally banned within the area. There was one problem, the area has been trawled for about 40 years, prior to that time it had been stagnent and full of algal bloom, the 'wonderful enviroment' had, in effect, been created by the commercial activy. without trawling, the area would become stagnent again

this site seems keen to hammer the commercials, all i can say is that those who condem should remember that most of those involved in the commercial sector are hard working, honest and do care about the stocks. perhaps you should picture yourselves on a saturday morning, the weather is crap, you have well planned day of sport fishing, but just can't be bothered. it might be worth considering the men who have no choice but to rise and go to sea just to make a living.

I don't hammer the commercials who make a living from the sea but I don't see why they should think they have a god given right to destroy it and deny anyone else from benefitting from it. The seas and the fish in them belong to everyone, not just the commercials and the sooner everyone else gets their fair share the better. If that means restictions on netting and some boats being laid up then so be it. The UK has a 200 mile limit, let the anglers have the first 12 miles and we all share the other 188 miles. We should have some of what has been denied us for years.

[Guest @Winter@]

Hi Donnie K,

 

Welcome to the site. Will you be telling us a bit more about yourself, your location, the type of fishing you do etc or will you be remaining anonymous. Obviously that is your choice and I will respect that but it will effect how I respond to you.

[theguyfulla]

hello donnie would you like to elaborate on what scottish sea loch it was ???

[DonnieK]

want to know where i'm from and my experiences??? just now, i work on a clammer in west of scotland, in an area under threat of becoming a nature reserve. in the past i've worked on boats from peterhead and a prawn trawler from Fraserburgh. i've seen a bit of slaughter in my time but what i'm saying is that most men have some sort of conscience. NEVER CAUGHT A BASS - HONEST!!!

[arthurcodsbody]

i have to smile to my self when i think of the old days when it would be laughable to suggest that anyone, other than those activly involved in the fishing industy, would have any say in its running.

 

Well Donnie, and I dont want to start an argument with you I'm sure you are an honest guy. But unfortunatly the people who are involved in the fishing industry that are currently saying how its run are making a complete and utter balls up of it all. So maybe its time someone else had a go.

 

Commercial fishing has its place in the world no-ne on here will deny that fact, in fact most of us on here respect the personel risk you guys put yourselves at in search of your catch, However mass trawling of the sea I would say does not!

 

Unfortunatley it is human nature to "get what you can when you can" the same can be said the the offshore oil and gas industry in which I work, the amount of natural resources that have been wasted through this industry is to be honest shameful. We all no about british gas' latest price hike the platform I work on has flared 7million standard cubic feet of gas every day for the past 30 odd years multiply that by all the platform in the north sea over the same period and I would suggest that enough gas to run the domestic requirements of this country for a number of years has been wasted, This simply goes back to the old saying of profit now! A pipline to export the gas would cost in excess of 10million quid, alot of money at the time. However if it were laid it would of paid itself 10 time over by now! It comes down to our short sightedness towards eveything we as a race do!

 

I know I got of the point a bit but I wanted to make the point that as a race we are incapable of acting responsible when it comes stripping the earth of her assets, well unfortunatly one day its all gonna turn round and bite us right up the arse!!

 

Please don't fall out with me Donnie, i'm not here for bitchy arguments just a good honest discussion.

 

Thank for listening

Matt

[Guest @Winter@]

Bass - Me neither, or nothing to shout about. One day I hope to though - One of those big ones at over 45 cm's would be a nice start. I hope you didnt find me rude as I never meant to be, I am just sceptical when new commercial fishermen join the forum and appear anonymous. Your post was very reminiscent of several I have seen in the past. Are you from Whitby? ever been to Whitby, know Binatone or any of the others ?IMO there are too many who want to slag you off from behind a false name. I hope you are more like Wurzel than the other.

[Elton]

Winter,

 

DonnieK has been registered on here longer than you

[Guest @Winter@]

Should I stop been paranoid then ? Its not Binatone cranking up that old IP scrambler? Sorry Donnie K - Ive never been the same since he called me a poison dwarf.

Edited February 24, 2006 by @Winter@

[Diabolos]

i'm a commercial fisherman who spends most of his spare time with a rod in his hand, i fish for cod, dabs and everything (except bass) in between. i have to smile to my self when i think of the old days when it would be laughable to suggest that anyone, other than those activly involved in the fishing industy, would have any say in its running. it now seems that if you're green or catch bass you can dictate how things should be done.

i remember a story about a scottish sea loch, the enviromentalists thought that the habitat was so wonderful that it should be preserved for future generations, they thought that trawling was so destructive that should be totally banned within the area. There was one problem, the area has been trawled for about 40 years, prior to that time it had been stagnent and full of algal bloom, the 'wonderful enviroment' had, in effect, been created by the commercial activy. without trawling, the area would become stagnent again

this site seems keen to hammer the commercials, all i can say is that those who condem should remember that most of those involved in the commercial sector are hard working, honest and do care about the stocks. perhaps you should picture yourselves on a saturday morning, the weather is crap, you have well planned day of sport fishing, but just can't be bothered. it might be worth considering the men who have no choice but to rise and go to sea just to make a living.

 

Sorry Donnie, I do hammer the main thrust of commercials because, contrary to your ‘honest’ assertion, my experience is that most are lying, swindling, often wasteful, conservation disinterested, feel-sorry-for-me, wooden-headed, well-off toads who don’t give a stuff about anyone other than themselves and the Money God. I am acquainted with several trawler owners and I have yet to come across a poor one; they have much in common with bleating farmers if you ask me. As someone who also knows several fish-buyers, I’ve got to know who just how they beat quotas and what they regard as restrictive legislation, so no preaching please.

If the power were mine, I’d have no conscience or hesitation in shutting the home industry down, even if it meant sky-rocketing fish prices for reliance on imported and farmed fish. Extreme? Yes, but it would only be a shortcut to their own, self-created date with the devil. So the cure: no sympathy; no second chances; and no surrender.

And by the way, your information on the Scottish sea loch is absolute tripe.

 

S