Have the commercials finally emptied the north sea?

[Guest jay_con]

Ive got to say that this october has been the worst I can remember for cod fishing. I fished a venue last night, the conditions were absolutely spot on: Very coloured water (Impossible to see the bottom in 2 inch), nice dieing south easterly motion (Just right for this venue), No wind. I had my very best bait with me. I saw approximately 15 anglers in the same area, I was the only person to catch a codling.

At a similer time last year and for many years before, :mad: this venue and conditions would have given me at least 6 codling, I would have expected most people there to have at least caught a couple of fish each.

 

What is happening? have the commercial guys finally emptied the sea? Are there any other anglers who fish in the north east experiencing the same? Or are things a little better elsewhere?

 

Im really p---ed off, I spent a long time in summer crabbing and worming. Im beginning to think its a lot of effort for not much reward. Perhaps its time to sell up. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Norrie]

Hiya, As you might know, we fished out of Amble last weekend, we travelled for hours, (ask Jabee),and spent a fortune, and fished hard all day, for three codling, which were nothing to write home about.....this was my second trip this year out of Amble, the last trip was a lot better, yet the skipper (the same one) said it was a poor trip....wish I knew what was going on too.... Mibbes thats why I spend more and more time fishing for Skate......

[Guest jay_con]

THere aint many more species around here. Id rather catch nothing than 100's of whiting

[gonefishing]

what do you mean "no wind" where on earth were you? indoors!?

 

perhaps the storms have had something to do with it...its been an odd summer, perhaps the weather has had an effect.

[Tel]

maybe the scientists predictions of overfishing and cod collapses are coming true

 

I would say they are as on the essex coast its been very poor for two seasons now, and friends up north arent catching half the cod/codling they used to.

 

But the void in the sea is getting filled with pout and whiting around here anyway

 

but according to scottish trawlerman there is no problem!!!!! what planet are they on!!!!!

 

Terry

 

[ 30. October 2004, 07:45 AM: Message edited by: Tel ]

[kentangler]

It's not just Cod that are finished. Bass are taking a hammering due to the high value. One small whole Bass in a fish resaurant costs £17 !!That is equal to £17 per pound. In tesco's I see small Bass just on the size limit, I would never take a Bass that small. They are fetching £6 per pound for a whole fish including the head, so when the fish is trimmed, it must be much more per pound for edible flesh, about £12 I guess. I havn't caught a plaice for years, once very prolific along the Kent coast. My last three fishing trips with a large selection of bait costing a fortune resulted in three tiny pouting and three tiny whiting. Still the government do nothing.

[Norm B]

kentangler:

It's not just Cod that are finished. Bass are taking a hammering due to the high value. One small whole Bass in a fish resaurant costs £17 !!That is equal to £17 per pound. In tesco's I see small Bass just on the size limit, I would never take a Bass that small. They are fetching £6 per pound for a whole fish including the head, so when the fish is trimmed, it must be much more per pound for edible flesh, about £12 I guess. I havn't caught a plaice for years, once very prolific along the Kent coast. My last three fishing trips with a large selection of bait costing a fortune resulted in three tiny pouting and three tiny whiting. Still the government do nothing.

:cool: According to a MAFF/DEFRA scientist I occasionally talk to, if the North Sea was left alone for 5 years it would recover to an acceptable level and if it was left alone for 10 years it would be back to it's glory days and the fishing would then be sustainable if managed correctly. Not too much to ask for is it. It just needs a long term plan.

[chesters1]

what it needs is a real navy and a prime minister with the balls to stop fishing altogether ,all he has to do is declare a 400 mile fishing ban on the east coast and back it up with firepower,the fishermen as with farmers could be paid to do nothing and call the sea "set-aside" infact why not a 1,000 mile zone completly round britain ,a real prime minister with britain as his first concern wouldnt hesitate ,unfortunatly the navy is so small and old it couldnt protect margate nevermind Britain ,but wait Iceland did it with 3 converted trawlers :mad:

so long as innocent day charter boats and small privatly owned boats "none using nets" wernt included no harm would occur.

a 1,000 mile limit would ensure that no error could be used as an excuse as trawlers bump along the end of brighton pier cleaning up the scraps

its perfectly legal to set up any zone you want as long as you back it up ,take the no fly zone in iraq thats been in existance for 12 years if thats legal anything is

 

[ 30. October 2004, 10:23 AM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Guest jay_con]

no wind here. force 7 wed night then not much since.

 

would we be better in or out of europe? mr Blair dont seem to worry about the sea. I think if europe didnt tell him what to do hed just forget the sea all together.

 

Lets face it I think Blair is here to stay. Surely we arent as mad as the americans, we wont elect a monkey(Howard) as our leader would we? I cant see much changing unless we can somehow exert more pressure. The anglers up here just arent together, I think they just sell their gear rather than attempt to change things.

[Norm B]

chesters1:

what it needs is a real navy and a prime minister with the balls to stop fishing altogether ,all he has to do is declare a 400 mile fishing ban on the east coast and back it up with firepower,the fishermen as with farmers could be paid to do nothing and call the sea "set-aside" infact why not a 1,000 mile zone completly round britain ,a real prime minister with britain as his first concern wouldnt hesitate ,unfortunatly the navy is so small and old it couldnt protect margate nevermind Britain ,but wait Iceland did it with 3 converted trawlers      :mad:    

so long as innocent day charter boats and small privatly owned boats "none using nets" wernt included no harm would occur.

a 1,000 mile limit would ensure that no error could be used as an excuse as trawlers bump along the end of brighton pier cleaning up the scraps      

its perfectly legal to set up any zone you want as long as you back it up ,take the no fly zone in iraq thats been in existance for 12 years if thats legal anything is

:cool: Under International law we have a 200 mile limit but we have conceded that to Europe, we only have control over 12 miles. 12 miles is enough if we enforce it but we don't. The majority of fish breed and grow within the 12 mile limit so if there was a no net ban within the 12 mile limit the fishing would improve dramaticly within a couple of years as millions of immature fish wouldn't be caught and killed, only to be thrown overboard to feed the crabs. Those fish would grow to breed and fill the offshore seas where the netsmen could have their share. Not too difficult is it. It just needs someone with the balls to enforce it.