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Eating Perch...or any other prized species.


Andy Macfarlane

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'Imagine if every angler took two or three fish a session'

 

But they don't, even though on many rivers they can and thats the whole point of the argument really.

Very few freshwater fish are eaten by regular anglers, its not in our culture, and failing a third world war with food shortages, never will be. Far more fish meet their fate from mishandling and being stuffed into overly small keepnets, than being stuffed into your gob.

 

The only anglers that take freshwater fish tend to be those that enjoy an occasional perch, small pike or zander. If that's wrong, then eating cod, hake, wild trout and all of the rest is also wrong. The brits are notorious for taking relationships with animals to a ridiculous length. Eat a cow but not a horse. Eat a rabbit but not a cat. If you're a veggie then I understand why you don't eat animals, if you're not, then differentiating between a perch and a piece of deep fried cod on a friday night makes no sense. Neither is there any difference between a bunny out of a pet shop and a wild rabbit shot on the moors... same animal,...different relationship.

 

Everyone makes a choice about their diet, but rarely is it a choice that the rest of us have a right to challenge. I love to eat fish and have eaten freshwater ones too, although not often and rarely in the UK. The french have a reputation for eating everything edible that they catch...they will say that its a question of not wasting free food, perhaps they are right. For sure we have no right to say...hey you can't do that....and before anyone makes the mistake of believing that french freshwater fisheries are dying on their feet, then you should be aware that in spite of french anglers chewing on a tasty perch occasionally, their fisheries are more protected than ours (overly so) and are generally in better shape than ours.

Edited by argyll

'I've got a mind like a steel wassitsname'

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Argyll.. interesting... would you expand on your statement that the French protect their fish stocks moreso than the Brits? also, where can I purchase an undersized keepnet?

 

Catch and release has nothing to do with mushy sentiments often seen with other wild creatures, catch and release is based on sound conservation reasons, I do not understand the logic of " I purchased a licence therefore I can kill and eat a specimen fish if I wish" that is selfish in the extreme ( I or anyone else will never get the opportunity to catch it if it has been eaten!) short sighted and un-necessary, the argument that to catch and eat our quarry instead of catching and releasing will satisfy the anti's is also flawed... they just want to ban angling... period! it matters not to them how we conduct ourselves so don't give that a second thought because you are wasting your time, thinking somehow eating our quarry will change their fanatical mindset is misguided and naive.

 

Can someone explain to me how purchasing a fishing licence for £24 gives an angler the right to help decimate our natural fish stocks at will?

How is it better for the environment ?

What are your children going to catch in the future?

Why deny another, the right to enjoy the sport and thrill you had in catching that fish, just because you can?

Are my fellow anglers that selfish?

What about all the natural predators you have denied a meal or don't they matter?

I am a match angler .....not an anti-Christ!!!]

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Argyll.. interesting... would you expand on your statement that the French protect their fish stocks moreso than the Brits? also, where can I purchase an undersized keepnet?

 

Catch and release has nothing to do with mushy sentiments often seen with other wild creatures, catch and release is based on sound conservation reasons, I do not understand the logic of " I purchased a licence therefore I can kill and eat a specimen fish if I wish" that is selfish in the extreme ( I or anyone else will never get the opportunity to catch it if it has been eaten!) short sighted and un-necessary, the argument that to catch and eat our quarry instead of catching and releasing will satisfy the anti's is also flawed... they just want to ban angling... period! it matters not to them how we conduct ourselves so don't give that a second thought because you are wasting your time, thinking somehow eating our quarry will change their fanatical mindset is misguided and naive.

 

Can someone explain to me how purchasing a fishing licence for £24 gives an angler the right to help decimate our natural fish stocks at will?

How is it better for the environment ?

What are your children going to catch in the future?

Why deny another, the right to enjoy the sport and thrill you had in catching that fish, just because you can?

Are my fellow anglers that selfish?

What about all the natural predators you have denied a meal or don't they matter?

 

 

OK....buy ANY keepnet and stuff it full of fish. Keep them in it for the best part of a day, often in water depleted of oxygen and then tip them back in the water. Predator anglers looking for an edge will drop onto waters a day or two after a match, because its a fair bet that there are an above average number of dead or dying silver fish in the water. No...don't tell me... keepnets are nothing but beneficial to fish stocks. Right ...silly me.

 

Buying a licence entitles you do quite simply what the licence allows you do. If that means take a fish or two then thats precisely what it means. None of us make the rules, hopefully most of us abide by them.

 

The French. Look it up on the net Bob, loads of info about the control of fishing in France Check out french fishing regs and the impossibly complex rules and regs that French anglers are tied too. Several layers of licence and fee. Strict close seasons on rivers and major stillwaters. Restrictions on maggots and groundbait on reservoirs. No night fishing unless certified on private lakes, restrictions on numbers taken for the pot. Requirements to drain and de-silt private lakes every few years. Many areas do not allow residents to use boats with over 8hp motors unless the owner is certificated by exam. They change from area to area but the french bureaucracy makes fishing a little more difficult than just buying an EA type licence and a day ticket.

Last but not least, the gendarmerie take the law seriously. They expect you to have the correct paperwork and permissions and make a point of asking. Unfamilar territory for us in the UK.

Edited by argyll

'I've got a mind like a steel wassitsname'

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I can only speak from experience here Argyll (20 plus years) of match fishing, I have NEVER witnessed a keepnet stuffed full of fish mate, I myself, have weighed in bags over 100lbs in numerous matches and they do not fill the first 3 rings of the net, another point of fact fish do not feed in oxygen starved water, also how long do you think commercial fisheries would last if keepnet fatality's on the scale you presume are occurring? these fisheries regularly throw up massive weights time and time again with very few fatality's, I can honestly say match anglers are the most regulated anglers out there and their fish handling skills are the highest of all anglers, be in no doubt about that.

Back to the main subject ... Unfortunately too many "anglers" are taking huge liberty's with our current legislation regarding fish removal... hence the call for a change in the laws. As for the French...well who is going to argue with an armed officer? That is not what I wish to experience when going fishing but I can see the day coming when our enforcers will be armed.

I am a match angler .....not an anti-Christ!!!]

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where can I purchase an undersized keepnet?

Lidl

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Interestingly, if you look at the situation in Australia it may surprise you.

 

In South Australia most English Perch (Redfin) are killed and eaten (or discarded). Yet in South Australia the average size of Perch caught is very high.

I have just been looking at a South Australian website (FishSA.com) which shows a picture of two 2kg.+ perch from a small river near Adelaide. This river is regulary fished for perch and most are killed. It also has abstraction problems so the flow is poor. It still manages to produce regular double figure catches of Perch of a high average size. 1kg.(2lbs.+) perch are the norm.

 

How does that happen??

 

As many will have read there was a discussion about the size of English Perch in Australia on here recently.

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Interesting topic in my view with some good opinions. I am in Scotland where the permits dictate the rules. I would expect that in England the rod licence at such a low price should be for catch and release - therefore no arguement or variation !! If not - thats how it should read !!!!

Peter :)

A bad days fishing is better than a good day at the office. Tight lines all.

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Interestingly, if you look at the situation in Australia it may surprise you.

 

In South Australia most English Perch (Redfin) are killed and eaten (or discarded). Yet in South Australia the average size of Perch caught is very high.

I have just been looking at a South Australian website (FishSA.com) which shows a picture of two 2kg.+ perch from a small river near Adelaide. This river is regulary fished for perch and most are killed. It also has abstraction problems so the flow is poor. It still manages to produce regular double figure catches of Perch of a high average size. 1kg.(2lbs.+) perch are the norm.

 

How does that happen??

 

As many will have read there was a discussion about the size of English Perch in Australia on here recently.

 

Are we comparing apples with apples though? is there a problem with Cormorants? a problem with the birth control pill and estrogen entering Australian waters causing sterility in the male fish? How many anglers are there in Australia? and so on... for me , it is misguided to compare the two. I know it is illegal to catch and release the "vermin carp" in Australia and the law states they must die (even if that means slinging them up the bank ) no, one cannot compare the two fairly.

I am a match angler .....not an anti-Christ!!!]

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Are we comparing apples with apples though? is there a problem with Cormorants? a problem with the birth control pill and estrogen entering Australian waters causing sterility in the male fish? How many anglers are there in Australia? and so on... for me , it is misguided to compare the two. I know it is illegal to catch and release the "vermin carp" in Australia and the law states they must die (even if that means slinging them up the bank ) no, one cannot compare the two fairly.

There are a million plus people in Adelaide and only a couple of small rivers which have exactly the same pollution problems (or more so) than most UK rivers.

There are plenty of cormorants and several other fish eating birds.

 

Perch are deliberately targetted by many anglers.

 

I am old enough to remember when cormorants were unheard of on UK rivers yet the average size of perch was still small.

 

The comparisons are not as far apart as you may think.

 

I suspect that the average size of Perch in Australia MAY be because so many are killed......it is one explanation

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