are cod returning?

[Guest challenge]

Are cod returning?

http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.p...ed_to_ICES.html

[John E Ashford]

My own experience on last weeks wrecking trip, there was a lot, I mean a lot, of ½lb and ¾lb Codling coming out of the water, then returned. Over the last 3 or 4 years these sized Codling were a rare fish.

 

I do hope this is light at the end of a dark period, and hopefully, with restraint, they are left to mature.

[bigdunny]

Weve been getting loads of small Codling in the 1lb to 1.8lb size this year up by Arbroath and surrounding areas, bodes well for the future methinks

[Guest challenge]

My own experience on last weeks wrecking trip, there was a lot, I mean a lot, of ½lb and ¾lb Codling coming out of the water, then returned. Over the last 3 or 4 years these sized Codling were a rare fish.

 

I do hope this is light at the end of a dark period, and hopefully, with restraint, they are left to mature.

That’s correct john, lets hope that for everybody sake the fishermen are correct.

We will have to Waite and see what the scientists think of the fishermen’s finding and let them analyse them, discus them with defra, who will discus them with the government, who will discus them with there eu counterparts and then decide that the fishermen are wrong. These fish are recovering, but knot fast enough; therefore cut the quota even further.

Meanwhile back at the ranch large factory trawlers (Russian) towing 30/40mm mesh nets are benefiting from increased stocks of haddock of Rockall.

The EU has repeatedly failed to bring Russia to the negotiating table to agree management of the fishery.

As a result, Russian trawlers are catching around 6000-7000t of small haddock south west of Rockall, while only a handful of Scottish boats using 120mm mesh trawls have fished against a 440t allocation.

Boats fishing deepwater of west coast will be forced back into the North Sea, not because there is a lack of fish, but because there is a lack of quota for this area being allocated to them.

[Davy Holt]

Hiya,

 

for the first time in 15 years the area I fish in the West Coast is alive with 6" Codling, where as in the past the shoals around the pier Coalies & Small pollack made up the numbers now the Codling ar out numbering them 20 to 1. I do hope this is a sign of things inproving but I wont hold my breath waiting.

[glennk]

Its the sign of a good year class. With last years cold winter you may see the same again this time next year. Two good year classes hopefully. As for sign of a recovery, yes that could be true. I hope challenge is right about there not been enough boats to wipe them out. Im not as optimistic.

Edited September 1, 2006 by glennk

[Guest challenge]

I hope and believe that there will be an upturn. The future could look bright for the cod. But not for the angler or commercial fisherman that wants to catch them.

The fish may well return, but a future of no (or very little) quota for commercial fishermen and tiny bag limits for anglers could mean an end to fishing as we all know it.

[WALCOTT]

CHALLENGE..as long as the boat is going out all I want is a large fish for a large bag...what have you got planned as to lessons next week..as you are my Cod Sherpa now...I am Cod grasshopper???..do you need any pirks and then you can get rid of the duck net...I might bring some Hookia's to keep the old filletting going...no rest for the wicked...hows JB and M....do you like Red wine,that wont catch fish but for you and her indoors...remember the codmaster is coming...see you later.

[big_cod]

That’s correct john, lets hope that for everybody sake the fishermen are correct.

We will have to Waite and see what the scientists think of the fishermen’s finding and let them analyse them, discus them with defra, who will discus them with the government, who will discus them with there eu counterparts and then decide that the fishermen are wrong. These fish are recovering, but knot fast enough; therefore cut the quota even further.

Meanwhile back at the ranch large factory trawlers (Russian) towing 30/40mm mesh nets are benefiting from increased stocks of haddock of Rockall.

The EU has repeatedly failed to bring Russia to the negotiating table to agree management of the fishery.

As a result, Russian trawlers are catching around 6000-7000t of small haddock south west of Rockall, while only a handful of Scottish boats using 120mm mesh trawls have fished against a 440t allocation.

Boats fishing deepwater of west coast will be forced back into the North Sea, not because there is a lack of fish, but because there is a lack of quota for this area being allocated to them.

 

There is very good signs with the small codling things look very optomistic fingers crossed these fish will survive but if there is big herring spawn if boats are working 100ml one hell of a lot of small codling will not survive .

Saw the thing about the russian trawlers hammering the small haddock of rockall on the front page of the fishing news its a very crazy situation and will probably do imense damage to the fisherie.

[dale]

i read somewhere that a huge influx of immature fish after a lean spell usually happens just before a complete collapse of the stock.