The prospects look grim!

[frankthebass]

I’m going to write to my local MP and to Ben Bradshaw outlining my disapproval of bag limits, NTZ,s and any licence.

I will only accept any restrictions on my angling if realistic restrictions are put onto inshore commercial effort.

I do take exception to other people campaigning to restrict my angling, and giving away my basic angling rights in return for nothing.

I have a bad feeling that all these years of campaigning for the BMP (undoubtedly well intended) may have shot English anglers right in the feet.

We may well end up massively restricted, licensed and get no restrictions to local commercial effort.

Sorry if my views offend some on hear but I’m very worried about the facture of my sport, a sport I have been doing for 30 years and will pack up if my concerns prove to be correct.

_______________

[Guest challenge]

I’m going to write to my local MP and to Ben Bradshaw outlining my disapproval of bag limits, NTZ,s and any licence.

I will only accept any restrictions on my angling if realistic restrictions are put onto inshore commercial effort.

I do take exception to other people campaigning to restrict my angling, and giving away my basic angling rights in return for nothing.

I have a bad feeling that all these years of campaigning for the BMP (undoubtedly well intended) may have shot English anglers right in the feet.

We may well end up massively restricted, licensed and get no restrictions to local commercial effort.

Sorry if my views offend some on hear but I’m very worried about the facture of my sport, a sport I have been doing for 30 years and will pack up if my concerns prove to be correct.

_______________

A truthful statement and one I believe many on here can relate too.

The difference being in my case is that I don’t want anything back from the powers that be, because I don’t believe that commercial fishing (in today’s commercial climate and in this part of the world) has much (if any) effect on recreational sea angling.

I know that this might sound selfish, but it’s not half as selfish as a few wanting to change it all for the masses.

Regards.

[frankthebass]

Hi challenge,

 

I have worked as a commercial fisherman in my past and my farther has campaigned for restrictions on commercial effort for as long as I can remember, so I feel Im in a uniqu possision.

 

Commercial effort has made a big difference in my area, only four years ago I was catching good numbers of 2lb to 5lb bass from the shore locally, now it just aint worth doing as the gill netters have had them all.

 

What I dont like is the prospect of our right being given away freely without being used as a bargening tool.

We will see restriction on our sport while commercial activity carries on as usual.

[Guest challenge]

Hi challenge,

 

I have worked as a commercial fisherman in my past and my farther has campaigned for restrictions on commercial effort for as long as I can remember, so I feel Im in a uniqu possision.

 

Commercial effort has made a big difference in my area, only four years ago I was catching good numbers of 2lb to 5lb bass from the shore locally, now it just aint worth doing as the gill netters have had them all.

 

What I dont like is the prospect of our right being given away freely without being used as a bargening tool.

We will see restriction on our sport while commercial activity carries on as usual.

I cannot comment on your fishery because I know very little about it. I too spent many years in the commercial fishing industry and have seen many changes in the way our inshore fishing (methods and concentrations) has gone in the last few years.

I hope that you have success with your campaign to improve your sport.

I would love to know more about the commercial effort that you want to try and restrict.

Are there more commercial fishermen (and gear) today than there was say, ten years ago?

Regards.

[frankthebass]

There is less all round pressure now due to a greatly reduced local fleet, but from what I gather a few of the next generation of fishermen have opted for small fast boats.

 

The small fast boats just nip out to the upper reaches of the estuary at the right state of tide then zip back.

 

These boats are drift netting for bass and mullet. They are targeting the same fish, as I would be if I were bothering.

From the reports I have been getting this last two years have been bad for bass and many of the middle-sized boats have reverted to fixed or drifting trammel nets for soles.

I think this is as most of the bass 36cm and over have been caught.

 

Push commercial effort out a mile and my angling would soon recover.

[steve pitts]

I’m going to write to my local MP and to Ben Bradshaw outlining my disapproval of bag limits, NTZ,s and any licence.

I will only accept any restrictions on my angling if realistic restrictions are put onto inshore commercial effort.

I do take exception to other people campaigning to restrict my angling, and giving away my basic angling rights in return for nothing.

I have a bad feeling that all these years of campaigning for the BMP (undoubtedly well intended) may have shot English anglers right in the feet.

We may well end up massively restricted, licensed and get no restrictions to local commercial effort.

Sorry if my views offend some on hear but I’m very worried about the facture of my sport, a sport I have been doing for 30 years and will pack up if my concerns prove to be correct.

_______________

 

Hi Sam

 

With all due respect - you can't have it both ways.

 

You say that the bass and mullet fishing in your area has deteriorated to the point where you consider it not worthwhile bothering and you point the finger of blame at the new breed of inshore commercial fishermen who are comming into the business.

You rightly point out that most bass are now caught as they reach the current minimum landing size of 36cm - few bass get above this size now, in comparison to when you first started fishing for them with your dad, due to the commercial pressure.

 

So, we as anglers, either accept this situation as a self-perpetuating merry-go-round of decreasing catches, or we say - enough is enough and try to do something about it before it is too late.

Perhaps increasing the MLS to allow more bass to live longer and grow bigger is one idea - limiting new entrants to the commercial bass fishery is another and maybe limiting the take by commercials and anglers could help to rebuild the local bass populations to previous levels. One thing is sure though - without some sort of plan, the future of bass fishing FOR BOTH SECTORS will be worth sweet FA.

 

People like Bob saw this coming 30 years ago and were in the minority then and still are now - but that doesn't make them wrong.

Maybe it just means that they have the fore-sight that others lack and the committment to see it through, which many others don't share.

 

Yes - we have historic rights to take as many bass as we want and to fish without paying for a licence - but what are these rights actually worth, when you stop going fishing because there are only schoolies to catch and nets are always set along your favourite marks? It might be free, but it just isn't worth the effort.

 

Cheers

Steve

Edited December 29, 2006 by steve pitts

[stavey]

Hi Sam

 

With all due respect - you can't have it both ways.

 

You say that the bass and mullet fishing in your area has deteriorated to the point where you consider it not worthwhile bothering and you point the finger of blame at the new breed of inshore commercial fishermen who are comming into the business.

You rightly point out that most bass are now caught as they reach the current minimum landing size of 36cm - few bass get above this size now, in comparison to when you first started fishing for them with your dad, due to the commercial pressure.

 

So, we as anglers, either accept this situation as a self-perpetuating merry-go-round of decreasing catches, or we say - enough is enough and try to do something about it before it is too late.

Perhaps increasing the MLS to allow more bass to live longer and grow bigger is one idea - limiting new entrants to the commercial bass fishery is another and maybe limiting the take by commercials and anglers could help to rebuild the local bass populations to previous levels. One thing is sure though - without some sort of plan, the future of bass fishing FOR BOTH SECTORS will be worth sweet FA.

 

People like Bob saw this coming 30 years ago and were in the minority then and still are now - but that doesn't make them wrong.

Maybe it just means that they have the fore-sight that others lack and the committment to see it through, which many others don't share.

 

Yes - we have historic rights to take as many bass as we want and to fish without paying for a licence - but what are these rights actually worth, when you stop going fishing because there are only schoolies to catch and nets are always set along your favourite marks? It might be free, but it just isn't worth the effort.

 

Cheers

Steve

 

Hi steve

 

I think what most rsa's are worried about is what is going to come first, bag limits and licenses etc before any real conservation measures are imposed on the commercial industry to realy help improve things ie, inshore netting bans out to mile, it is looking pretty obvious that the former is more likely to happen imo, and you cant blame people like sam for feeling the way they do.

 

My area as suffered the same fish stock destruction over the years to the point where there realy is not much left to encourage anyone to continue to cast a bait off the beach, other than perhaps for the day out for some fresh air!! catching a half decent sized fish nowadays is not even a bonus anymore it is a dam near impossability and the thought of having to now pay even more money for such a privilege is realy taking the biscuit, i forersee a loss of participation in rsa if the we have licenses and bag limits imposed before no restrictions are imposed on the setting of nets close to the shore, and these sort of actions could prove more damaging to rsa than anything else perhaps??????

[Steve Coppolo]

i forersee a loss of participation in rsa if the we have licenses and bag limits imposed before no restrictions are imposed on the setting of nets close to the shore, and these sort of actions could prove more damaging to rsa than anything else perhaps??????

 

I think you're dead right there Stavey. What we mustn't lose sight of is that sea angling is in a state because the stock of inshore fish is in a state. Bad fisheries management is to blame, but that's beside the point. What is important to remember is bag limits and licences won't improve inshore fish stocks, and therefore won't improve sea angling. Restrictions on commercial fishing inshore will improve sea angling, but the government/DEFRA aren't talking about such restrictions, the commercial fishing industry would never agree to any such thing. So instead they are talking about restrictions on sea anglers instead because that is the path of least resistance.

 

Charter boat and tackle businesses will continue to suffer until something is done to improve the quality of sea angling available, and if bag limits and licences are imposed before that happens it will lead to a mass exodus from the sport. Terrible for sea anglers, terrible for the sport itself, but disastrous for small businesses that rely on sea angling.

[stavey]

I think you're dead right there Stavey. What we mustn't lose sight of is that sea angling is in a state because the stock of inshore fish is in a state. Bad fisheries management is to blame, but that's beside the point. What is important to remember is bag limits and licences won't improve inshore fish stocks, and therefore won't improve sea angling. Restrictions on commercial fishing inshore will improve sea angling, but the government/DEFRA aren't talking about such restrictions, the commercial fishing industry would never agree to any such thing. So instead they are talking about restrictions on sea anglers instead because that is the path of least resistance.

 

Charter boat and tackle businesses will continue to suffer until something is done to improve the quality of sea angling available, and if bag limits and licences are imposed before that happens it will lead to a mass exodus from the sport. Terrible for sea anglers, terrible for the sport itself, but disastrous for small businesses that rely on sea angling.

 

Steve, if it was not for a few die hard matchmen down here the beach fishing side of the hobby would amount to zero, everyone knowing what their mentality is £££££ even if it means catching nothing and the drawing of lots(which is happening more and more each year) these few will continue, but will they if they have to pay a license and practice bag limits? i dont realy sea these guys as rsa's as their whole point seams to do it for financial gain but that said they are mostly the only guys that are bothering to go.

 

Every other household back in the 70's had a beach outfit in it and most of my school mates participated not nowadays, i bump in to a few of them now and then and when asked why they chucked it in they gave the obvious answer, there was f*ck all left to catch in the end and when i tell them nothing as changed and infact got worse they are not surprised in the least, they all gave the same reasons for what was responsible, and every one on this bloody planet knows to, except those that dont want to admit to it, what the f*ck is it with this completely ballsed up country that can let 1300 (at the last count) carry on undermining millions of others peoples opinions and then our government letting them run the roost when it comes to our marine environment.

 

ps. all of those anglers who had chucked it in said they would return to the hobby if the nets were not allowed inside a mile of the shore infact quite a few said 2/3 mile but a mile would be enough of an incentive, cheers.........

[FishingGuernsey]

Had a response on my local forum about the bass today

Correct they weren't there last week, they have arrived in huge amounts over the past couple of days. Once again my point about the B.B being a mere pin prick, reports of shoals of Bass from well below the Hanois to Mid-Channel and contrary to beliefs they have returned to many of their old haunts which many claimed would never happen. You may not like to hear these reports but surely they are good to hear for everyone concerned. If they hadn't arrived then we would have heard crys of overfishing and bans, now they have come we hear it is not good because they can be exploited again!!! Talk about bashing ones head against a brick wall sometimes, must admit my mind does boggle.

It was in response to my questioning the ever incrasing effort when the "expert" Dr Pawson (sp?) said that an increase in effort should not be allowed. Why can it not be understood. Should also note that it depends who you ask as to how many fish are in the West of Guernsey breeding grounds. The anglers say not as many, hard to catch and small average size (few exceptional tides though with big fish) and the commercials say there are so many they don't know what to do with them. Strange that.