End of the Tope?

[AlderneyBassman]

Youre right Toerag, one of our local boats longlines exclusively for tope. Strange thing is he never gets many around Alderney but the charter anglers are having loads (and returning them). So he spends a lot of time over the "other side".

Now he's gone and bought a trawler though

[fudd]

if he exclusively targets tope and doesnt catch many how on earth did he manage to go out and buy a trawler??? think on my friend

next you will be telling me all farmers are skint!!

[Guest stevie cop]

It's like Saddam Hussein setting light to the oil fields all over again.

 

In my area, fearing that a ban on inshore gill netting is imminent, the netters are really hammering the bass and mullet this year trying to build up track record. No doubt this is so that they can try to get some compensation. Even the cowboys have increased their effort to earn as much from their black fish as they can before any ban on gill nets is introduced.

 

As for the Tope, whatever market rhere might be for them, and no doubt the price will be low, it won't last long. With no quota, (big laugh), and low prices, the commercials will have to land one hell of a lot of fish to make it worth their while. They'll slaughter the Tope in double quick time until there is almost nothing left.

 

Sad to say, but that is typical of the commercial fishermans logic. Get it while you can, and before someone else gets it.

[Ian Burrett]

It isn't just the taking off the Tope, If you take any fish out of the ecosystem, there is a knock on effect. The result of taking out the spur dog shoals has resulted in Luce Bay being plagued with small whiting, These in turn I believe are eating all the small flatfish. Luce bay used to famous for its Dabs and Plaice but not anymore.

[Guest stevie cop]

Yes Ian, but those that tell us that they know more about the sea than anyone else, are either too stupid or too ignorant to see this. To them every fish that swims in the sea is a pound sign, and nothing else.

[Ian Burrett]

Steve Coppolo:

Yes Ian, but those that tell us that they know more about the sea than anyone else, are either too stupid or too ignorant to see this. To them every fish that swims in the sea is a pound sign, and nothing else.

Sadly Steve, You are dead right

[Tom Pinborough]

lowestoft is with in the Eastern sea fisheries joint committee, if you wish to write your concerns , the address is below

 

Mat Manders

Clerk & Chief Fishery Officer

Eastern SFC

6 North Lynn Business Village

Bergen Way

King's Lynn

Norfolk PE30 2JG

 

cheers

Tom

[Norm B]

Steve Coppolo:

Yes Ian, but those that tell us that they know more about the sea than anyone else, are either too stupid or too ignorant to see this. To them every fish that swims in the sea is a pound sign, and nothing else.

:cool: Or in the case of tope, a pence sign, as in tons of dead smoothhounds at £1.50 a stone, majority of which were binned. :mad:

[Guest stevie cop]

If you are right Ian, killing all the Tope to make a few quid for a couple of years, at the most, might lead to the collapse of their beloved Sole fishery. Maybe someone should point this out to them.

[Leon Roskilly]

It might be worth some of you who fish for small sharks (smoothound, huss, tope etc) to form a society to develop and promote the species as a recreational fishery, and to campaign for their protection as a vlauable recrational species.

 

Much the same as BASS are doing for bass and the NMC are starting to do for mullet.

 

Tight Lines - leon