Alderney Festival

[Norm B]

Toerag:

This is the first year that tope have been caught in any numbers, although the odd one has been landed in the past (including a 65lb'er foulhooked a couple of years ago.  I guess all the tope went to france as the frenchies use them for something or other, they don't go for potbait.

:cool: So that's settled that one, they were killed and eaten, I don't have any problem with that, nor do I think many anglers would. What's the difference between killing a plaice, a cod or bream and a tope, none if it's for the table.

[Happy Dude]

i beg to differ norm,

 

these fish were caught by non commercial fishermen and sold for profit, an illegal pursuit i have been led to believe and probably won't count in any quota if there is such a thing on tope

 

so fair enough if you catch a tope and kick its head in for your own tea, but not if its getting flogged to france for beer money.

 

and before anyone starts on me,

 

i took some stick a while back about my friend taking some mackerel to use in his restaurant, now i know better.

[Happy Dude]

[/QB]

And no, I wouldn't kill a big skate, no matter how good it tasted but then, if they were as plentiful as tope, I wouldn't criticise some one that did. [/QB]

 

norm,

 

i have fished for tope 3 times this year and had none on my boat, i have fished for skate 3 times also and had 10 on my boat, whats the more common

[Spur-Hound]

i dont have any serious objections to those who do it ,IDe just feel to guilty to kill a tope i think, After all its travelled such a distance, and are such strong fish, And an adult with all its spawning potential(hopefully moree sport for us in the future) Earn a good deal of respect in my book... And another point that i wouldnt eat a tope (like all sharks it probably tastes of ammonia) SO the only reason i would have to kill one would be for a picture in a mag, and or getting my name on a list... I just wouldnt do it, and i dont know if it is such a good thing of others to do, unless they are indeed going to be eaten,

[Norm B]

Spur-Hound:

i dont have any serious objections to those who do it ,IDe just feel to guilty to kill a tope i think, After all its travelled such a distance, and are such strong fish, And an adult with all its spawning potential(hopefully moree sport for us in the future) Earn a good deal of respect in my book... And another point that i wouldnt eat a tope (like all sharks it probably tastes of ammonia) SO the only reason i would have to kill one would be for a picture in a mag, and or getting my name on a list... I just wouldnt do it, and i dont know if it is such a good thing of others to do, unless they are indeed going to be eaten,

:cool: Hi, as I've said before, some anglers kill fish to eat them, some to win a competition and some to have it weighed for a record etc. the fish is still dead but why should we criticise an angler for killing a fish, maybe a couple, just because we don't. It's his, or her, choice. As long as we behave sensibly and ethically then why should anyone criticise us. We don't ditch tons of dead fish daily, discards, which seems totally acceptable in many peoples eyes. I used to eat mullet but I don't now, I eat more bass than I used to because I've caught less sole this year, it's swings and roundabouts. I like fish to eat, it's a healthy food. I used to shoot pheasants, rabbit etc but I don't now so fish will play a larger part in my diet. I believe I may have eaten tope in France, it was shark on the menu but if it was it was a small one, it didn't taste that bad either. We are legally allowed to kill fish, providing they are of a legal size, we shouldn't make anglers feel guilty for doing so, just because we wouldn't. I've never hunted foxes but I don't object to those that do, I've shot a few to protect the pheasants I used to shoot so I'm no less "guilty"? I didn't eat them. Properly managed there are enough fish in the sea for every one to kill some and there will be plenty left for those that don't wish to kill them. Left to the trawlers they'll be none left for anyone.

 

[ 28. October 2004, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Norm B ]

[Toerag]

Do you people actually read these things I write? No fish were sold, it's against the rules of the competition, anglers have been very severely ostracized in the past for doing so. The commercial boys (all 2 of them!) have an agreement with the festival organisers to keep offshore in return for taking away any unwanted fish. The festival is very important to Alderney in terms of money spent in the island, even the commercial guys know that. The majority of the competitors are pretty hardcore specimen hunters, and as such tend to be conservation minded too. At a guess the total number of dead fish weighed in was a lot less than your average days charter boat catch, and thats from 130-odd anglers fishing hard for a whole week. Anything reasonably edible was certainly given to a restaurant with the instructions 'ere mate, cook this for my tea will you?'

 

[ 28. October 2004, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: Toerag ]

[Happy Dude]

you missed my point,

 

did the commercial guys give the fish away to the french for nothing then?

[Toerag]

I would think they sold them. But hey, they're allowed to, so I don't see the problem. Would you prefer a pile of dead fish dumped over the wall of the harbour, as so often condemned on this forum?

[Happy Dude]

toerag, i'm just playing a bit devils advocate here

 

they sold them, but unlicenced fishermen caught them, is that legal?

 

i don't want to see any dead tope dumped or sold, i want them swimming

[Norm B]

they sold them, but unlicenced fishermen caught them, is that legal?

:cool:

Actually it is not illegal to sell fish caught from the shore, or that is my understanding. I talked to MAFF several years ago about the selling of shore caught fish and they replied, "it's a grey area".

Well I do not believe that there is a "grey area" concerning MAFF and the selling of fish, they just did not want to admit it was legal. Magna Carta comes in to play here. If we have the "right" to catch fish from the shore then surely we can do what we wish with them, providing they are of a legal size. It's only boats that need a license to sell fish, they don't have a "right" under the Magna Carta to catch fish. Also my understanding is that if a boat doesn't have an engine then they don't need a license to sell fish caught from the boat. I'm sure somebody will soon correct me if I'm wrong.