110 tope update

[Ian Burrett]

I have just come of the phone to the trawler skipper that landed the tope

The fish was weighed at Whitehaven fish market at 110 pounds

He actually recieved £4.50 for the fish but it cost him three pounds to have it delivered to the fish market. So the biggest tope ever seen in European waters died for £1.50

He is sending me a camera photo and the receipt.

It was alive and healthy in the trawl and in his own words, would have put it back if he had known how little it was worth. Ironically it is the first tope he has caught in his trawl

 

This fish will rewrite the text books as the ceiling on tope was thought to be around 100 pounds. This fish may have been gravid but only in the early stages as they don't lay their young till early spring, so this fish could have weighted in excess of 140 pounds in full pup.

 

I am not putting blame on the trawler owner as his job is to catch fish and sell them, but pressure must be put on the SFC to try and get the byelaw pushed through.

 

Please write/email to

 

North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee,

 

University of Lancaster,

 

Lancaster,

 

Lancashire.

 

LA1 4YY

 

Tel: 01524 68745. Fax: 01524 844980

 

E-mail: nwnwsfc@lancaster.ac.uk

 

Chief Executive

Dr. Stephen Atkins BSc

 

Principal Fishery Officer

Mr. Martyn Boyce MA MIMgt

[Leon Roskilly]

Hi Ian,

 

Just out of interest, did the skipper know how old that tope probably was?

 

Older than the skipper by a few years, I'd warrant a guess!

[Ian Burrett]

Hi Ian,

 

Just out of interest, did the skipper know how old that tope probably was?

 

Older than the skipper by a few years, I'd warrant a guess!

 

And maybe as old as the skippers father He actuallty though it was a Porgie

 

He would have no idea, of the age and considering the size of the fish, would anyone else? We know more about the moon than what's happening out there.

 

The fish would be well over 40 years old, how far over is anyones guess

Edited July 8, 2006 by Ian Burrett

[glennk]

Letter sent. I stressed the point of how as a stakeholder I was proud to live in an area with such a forward thinking and responsible sfc, in relation to tope at least .

Edited July 8, 2006 by glennk

[GowerRay]

And there's no urgency for a Tope protection Bye-law?

Letter sent to Welsh Assembly Members and Minister. (Copied to Ian).

Ray Davies

[Ian Burrett]

Letter sent. I stressed the point of how as a stakeholder I was proud to live in an area with such a forward thinking and responsible sfc, in relation to tope at least .

 

Thanks for your support Glen. It all helps

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

Ian.. Glasgow Museum have records of Tope to 125lb caught commercially in the outer Clyde estuary.

 

As for the age, the Irish 50lber that I caught off LA had been at liberty for 18 years and it was 50lb when it was tagged. so you could easily be looking at 80 to 100 years old

[Ian Burrett]

Hiya,

 

Ian.. Glasgow Museum have records of Tope to 125lb caught commercially in the outer Clyde estuary.

 

As for the age, the Irish 50lber that I caught off LA had been at liberty for 18 years and it was 50lb when it was tagged. so you could easily be looking at 80 to 100 years old

 

Hi Davy

 

It would be interesting to get a copy of these. Do you know if they were gravid? A local caught one in a net about ten years ago that was 92 gutted at the market.

 

The scientists need to to update their information as according tu fishbase the maximum recorded weight is 44.7kg which is just under 100 lb http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4642

 

193 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 40637); 195 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 44.7 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 55 years.

 

And the IUCN puts that maximum age at 60.

 

Perhaps we need to start fishing skate size baits for the big mammas

[Davy Holt]

Hiya Ian,

 

It would be interesting to get a copy of these. Do you know if they were gravid? A local caught one in a net about ten years ago that was 92 gutted at the market.

 

I only know about the weight and the location of capture, the information came from Bill Little when he was helping out at the museum sorting out the Skate tagging programme.

 

The scientists need to to update their information as according tu fishbase the maximum recorded weight is 44.7kg which is just under 100 lb http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4642

 

193 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 40637); 195 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 44.7 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 55 years.

 

And the IUCN puts that maximum age at 60.

 

Yup but as we know only too well when it comes to the biology of certain species the scientists don't know everything... just look at the Common Skate page on fishbase

 

Perhaps we need to start fishing skate size baits for the big mammas

 

Well did tell you about the 200lb traces being chomped through at the back end of the year up there so something sizable is lurking down there with sharp teeth

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