THIS YEARS CODSPAWN

[clem]

Hi clem

 

I live in central southern England,

 

3 years ago, all the summer and winter sprats went missing and have not been seen since.

 

The offshore sandeels are now hard to catch as well.

 

36 cm to 1 kilo bass went missing and also the hugh shoals of summer whiting far offshore

 

in the deep water.

 

Perhaps they have moved up your way followed by the french trawlers

 

steve

I remember reading in the angling press about those huge "mid-channel whiting" and boats filling up on them while up here you were lucky to get one size. Have these fish gone now Steve?

The French must be doing well on them and whatever by-catch they will be getting. They have also towed away £000 s of gear.

[barry luxton]

Hello barry

 

I don't think the SW have had record amount of cod, just accurate landing figures because of the buyers and sellers.

 

As you all know this is a subject close to my hart.

 

I have always maintained that cod recruitment is regulated by temperature, I have witness it first hand on a regular basis over the years.

the colder the winter the more mini codling we see the following year. whether it's bugs surviving to eat the larva or bugs surviving to be eaten by the cod larva I don't know, once they get to mini codling size temperature does not have so much effect on where they inhabit, food sauce is more important.

I don't hold much truck with the theory that less than 1% of cod spawn survive to become adult cod, it might after a very mild winter like this one but during a severe winter like 62 3 many more perhaps as much as 80% survive, from what I can make out the so called gadoid explosion that followed that year came from next to nothing stock wise. the following 15 or so years of much colder winters also produced some very good recruitment years, the slightly better recruitment we have seen in the last couple of years are nothing in comparison. unless regular hard winters return there will never be a return of cod stocks to those former levels.

I honestly don't think the UK fleet as it is now will have any effect on stocks, as I said the gadoid exploitation come from nothing which is why I am not sure that the commercial pressure has had that much effect on recruitment, but as I am constantly being reminded that is only my opinion.

 

I really am get very cynical with the scientists, I am sure they are milking it as much as they can just like the global warming fiasco

it's a gravy train.

 

I have never seen a codling inside a whiting but I have seen thousands of whiting inside cod.

 

One consolation I predict another large recruitment of bass this spring unlike a zero one last year, some thing that was rare during the 60's.

 

Evenin Wurzel, thanks for the info. i don't know how the buyers and sellers work but i'm sure if it was no good those guys would let us know. Again all i know is that i have seen an increase in the small codling at the top end of the channel, no doubt you have. There was again a good run of good cod this winter, i didn't get any of them as it's been too windy when i book, roll on next winter.

I don't know if any of the top end or central cod actually migrate further down the channel to the sw, or if the cod in the sw come up from the western approches somewhere. Where do you recon they go to spawn?

 

As you know my concern will now be how much this goverment can milk the rsa, seeing as they have just laid out the goal posts.

[steve good]

I remember reading in the angling press about those huge "mid-channel whiting" and boats filling up on them while up here you were lucky to get one size. Have these fish gone now Steve?

The French must be doing well on them and whatever by-catch they will be getting. They have also towed away £000 s of gear.

 

Hi clem

 

There are still some whiting about down here but not what it use to be like

 

Trouble is during the summer when the whiting are out in the English Channel the French catch,

 

vast amounts of them so as to save there quota on other fish.

 

I have seen French codends full right up with them

 

You cannot catch them twice

 

steve