If you think commercial fishermen are your ‘enemy’...

[JB]

stockholm syndrome towards our government? i guess some are but i think apathy has something to do with it and people are past caring, and just worrying about whether they can afford to get rat arsed at the weekends.......

Sounds about right!

 

Goodnight Stavey.

[JB]

I'm looking forward to catching some big lunkers with you next year jb

 

You will do well, my friend.

 

John

[Guest challenge]

Nice one steve there are people who visit this forum who think discards dont exist

Its beneficial to all to cut discards for anglers and the lads who work in the commercial fishing industry all will reap the benefits.

They exist Paul, I don’t think that anybody will seriously want to debate that they dont exist at all.

What doesn’t exist (on this forum) is much actual experience of working with discards.

The last thing you want when trawling is discards, more work, less sleep, less fish, less money.

I believe that in more than doubling the mesh size they use, using square panels in there trawls, cutting back there days that there allowed to fish by about 50% and reducing the fleet size by 60% all since the time that I stopped commercial fishing must make a significant difference in the reduction of discards. This will never be enough for some people I know, but there is no body more disappointed than the commercial fisherman when he catches discards Paul.

Discards are no good to anyone who wants to make a living from the sea. But discards are very good for fuelling resentment and mistrust.

Regards.

[glennk]

John at the last marine fisheries liason meeting with anglers the subject of discards was raised. The question of bye catch in the prawn fishery was discussed. I don't remember who exactly said what but it was claimed by a member of the panel that bye catch problems could be solved in the prawn fishery with a grid system. When it was asked why this wasn't implemented here the gist of the answer was opposition from the commercial fishing industry. If they don't want bye catch why are they so opposed to methods that will do away with it ?

[Toerag]

If they don't want bye catch why are they so opposed to methods that will do away with it ?

 

Because the grids are either more expensive to use I guess, or catches will drop below an acceptable level. The only reason fishermen like trawling is because it's easy - simply drive around for a few hours, then sort the fish, then go back to sleep. No baiting of pots or hooks needed, no clearing weed out of nets, less deckspace needed, less crew needed = more profit.

[glennk]

The Norwegians use the grid.

[big_cod]

They exist Paul, I don’t think that anybody will seriously want to debate that they dont exist at all.

What doesn’t exist (on this forum) is much actual experience of working with discards.

The last thing you want when trawling is discards, more work, less sleep, less fish, less money.

I believe that in more than doubling the mesh size they use, using square panels in there trawls, cutting back there days that there allowed to fish by about 50% and reducing the fleet size by 60% all since the time that I stopped commercial fishing must make a significant difference in the reduction of discards. This will never be enough for some people I know, but there is no body more disappointed than the commercial fisherman when he catches discards Paul.

Discards are no good to anyone who wants to make a living from the sea. But discards are very good for fuelling resentment and mistrust.

Regards.

 

Discards have been discused so many times on this forum challenge it just suprizes me that in 2006 the way thing are is that when discards arise in numbers which they do in great numbers at certain times of the year i say only certain times not all that many small codling are thrown back over the side it is really sad that the majority of these fish would probably provide a better living through the winter months for those who discard them it makes sense to find a way to cut discards a much as possible as it will no doubht benefit all in the end.

Edited November 22, 2006 by big_cod

[wurzel]

Hello Glenn

 

Quote

If they don't want bye catch why are they so opposed to methods that will do away with it ?

 

There is no incentive to do so, those that use grids or escape panels will catch less fish than those that don't.

 

I saw a presentation by a scientist that had been working with fishermen in the prawn fishery, using 120mm square mesh escape panels, by repositioning the panels they found they could eliminate all fish of less than 40 cm with out loosing any prawns.

 

The reason the fishermen don't adopt these panels is because there is not enough profit not to catch the fish between 35 and 40 cm, they are on the same days at sea. so if you had two boats fishing together one using a panel the other not, they land to the same market, the boat not using a panel would probably land say £3,000 worth of fish that the boat using the panel would not. in most cases most other expenses come out first that is £3,000 more that boat has to share out among the skipper and crew.

 

The government could just force all boats to adopted the escape panels.

Or they could let the boats using panels have more days at sea to allow them to make up the difference in lost catch, lift by catch quota restrictions, they could deem those that are using panels are fishing sustainable and allow them to market their prawns as such. they need to make it advantages for fishermen using these panels or they won't do it.

 

 

 

[Edited to remove the last quote (post also deleted) and reply - John S]

[glennk]

Hi Wurzel.

 

How does it work in Norway ? Are they forced or is it because of incentives ?

[wurzel]

Hi Wurzel.

 

How does it work in Norway ? Are they forced or is it because of incentives ?

 

Hello Glenn

 

I don't know, I'll try and find out.

 

 

 

 

 

[Edited to remove the last quote (post also deleted) and reply - John S]

 

Please explain!! my post was as I posted it.