Bass

[Local Fisherman]

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QUOTE(Norm B @ Nov 15 2006, 09:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Most anglers who fish for bass don't catch a bass and of those that do, most put their fish back. Before bass became fashionable and expensive they weren't targeted and there were plenty of them but there were still more of the other fish than there are now, so your figures prove nothing, unless you are saying that the bass have eaten them all. .

 

Norm didnt you mean most anglers who fish for Bass cant catch Bass!!! As for the figures BASS supplied the first, DEFRA the landings and the rest is hyperthetical, but some anglers do catch alot of Bass which is why there is a vast Blackfish problem on the south coast.

 

To Leon Roskilly - The under ten meter fleets catches are mainly included as the markets have to give DEFRA returns. As for most anglers returning fish - I dont think so, most sell them, thats why WAG took the proper action of instructing SFC's to look at bag limits for the unlicensed. Bass spawning: The optimum temp is 9 deg C for breeding. As for this most breed at 45cm plus thats aload of rubbish and you know it. Even if the mls was 55cm plus you would still not catch more bigger Bass. Most RSA donot know how to target them properly. As for if we have colder winters the Bass stocks would collaspe - again another piece of pie in the sky info.... The Bass fishery fished at its current rate is a sustainable fishery. There are more Bass know than tere was ten years ago and thts a fact backed by CEFAS.

 

Wurzel - Thanks for the input, your right the Bass stocks have never been better. The bit we need to stop is discards from trawlers, and increasing the mls and mesh size is not the way to do it. CEFAS know that even 120mm mesh will still catch 36 - 40cm Bass and this will know be discarded, what a waste.

 

Glenn K - My figures are way out - no their the truth apart from the hyperthetical bit. And as for that its probabily nearer the truth as some anglers do catch and retain alot of Bass especially on the south coast and in the west country.

 

Leon you only have to look at RSA magazines and papers to see that there are actualy more bigger Bass around now. Anglers just donot know how to fish for them properly.

 

Wurzul - You have to remember that that was at a certain time of the year. If you go everytime at that time of year you will find the same size Bass present. Thats a fact provided again by CEFAS. So if your lucky enough to go out in Nov /Dec of a certain south coast port with a large charter fleet, you will find you only catch 36 - 40cm fish every year at this time. Again thanks for the input.

 

Leon quoted "The 'evidence' given almost universally to the bass consultation by the catching sector claimed that inshore anglers would not benefit from an increase in mls because bass over 36cm move offshore.

 

That had a big impact on the decision making."

 

The fact is the only time these fish move slightly offshore is when you have the first snow falls. This occurs because the icy water drops to the seabed and the Bass dont like it. The biggest impact on the decision for the mls was the polictical one. DEFRA and CEFAS said do nothing. Labour party saw 4 million votes -

Now we have seen how bad the Labour party have been we now know which sector to blame for voting for them.

 

Any way gents. Back over to you. Im off to the for a week.

 

Just before I do go though heres a quote from a parliamentary Committee that Leon gave evidence to:

 

"Chairman: The ethos of the sea angler is: eat your own.

 

Q227 Diana Organ: No, they sell.

 

Mr Roskilly: A recreational sea angler catches fish for recreation. A commercial fisherman catches them for commerce. If somebody uses a rod and line to take a fish and sells that fish, he is a commercial rod-and-line fisherman, not a recreational angler. If he sells that fish illegally, he is an illegal commercial fisherman. Most anglers are united in condemning the practice of people who represent themselves as anglers selling their catch. They are not recreational anglers, they are commercial fishermen."

 

Firstly The answer Mr Roskilly has given here was a play on the word Commercial taken from the English dictionary. If somebody uses a rod and line to take a fish and sells that fish, he should be a licensed commercial rod-and-line fisherman. If he catches a fish on rod and line and sells the fish when he is not licensed he is breaking the law, which brings us straight back to the Blackfish market.

[frankthebass]

He is not breaking the law if he uses a rod and line (or dair I say even a gill net) from the shore or a un powered vessel under 10m to catch fish to sell. As long as local buy laws permit.