Pair Trawling in the Channel

[Guest stevie cop]

Most, if not all, of the problems around my part of the coast is caused by part time and hobby fishermen. For the few full time licenced fishermen, it just isn't worth netting estuaries and close to the beaches. O.K, they might catch a lot of fish every now and then inshore if they did it, but full timers need fish every day, every week, every month and every year. It's their living.

 

The part time or hobby fishermen, however, don't rely on catching fish to earn a living. They either have other jobs or sign on the dole, or both. If they can creep down an estuary once or twice a year and wipe out a few shoals of bass and mullet, it's happy days for them. A nice little bit of "bunce" on top of their other income. That's why most of them behave irresponsibly. It really doesn't matter to them whether the fish return again next year or not.

 

Personally, I think if all part time and hobby fishing was stopped, the proper full time fishermen would benefit and so would recreational sea anglers. I would like to see recreational anglers and full time commercial fishermen rally together to get it stopped. It is usually part timers who give commercial fishermen a bad name.

 

I'm not against anyone doing two jobs, good luck to anyone who has enough energy, but I don't agree that legitimate, full time, licenced fishermen should be penalised for the actions of people who only play at it for extra dosh. If any new legislation comes of the many reviews and recommendations flying around at the moment, it should be aimed at stopping part time and hobby fishing from taking place.

[wurzel]

Brian,

I think you might be getting a bit mixed up between a hobby fishermen just fishing with 10 pots, a short net or even a small trawl being allowed to catch enough for tea, they do not have to have a licence.

A couple of years a go the ministry suddenly cut our sole Quota to 250 Kg for a month, the hobby fishermen were allowed 10kg a day for tea, so if, and they do often fish every day in the shelterd estuary,they were quite legaly allowed to catch more than us, and you wonder why we take no notice of quotas.

 

Harwich being a port you have a few people that work on the ferrys or tugs, they have shifts of 2 weeks on and 2 off, they own a registered boat and fish for the 2 weeks off, I have not had a problem with this, as long as they are licenced and are fishing with the legal mesh size, as Brian says they usaly only go fishing when the fishing is good and don't bother when it's a bit scratchy, they are always on the quay watching whats being landed, if you have a good catch then they are out there the next day, A bit anoying but legal, some fishermen hate partimers with a vengence.

What bothers me is when we are forced to stop fishing or they start to inforce the small quotas and the net benifit report says it whants to cut the fleet even more, it's the likes of me that will be forced out, part timers will not be affected.

It's a tricky one, because we are supposed to be living in a free country, although I some times wonder.

[maximo]

a lad told us what he had on a line the other night and it wasnt a bad mixed haul.

and thats only one lad on one night when you add them up with lines and shore set nets and then gill nets set close in by amateurs it all adds up.

[Brian Carragher]

Wurzel

I don't think youve read my post correctly. I have not mentioned licences for trawling or netting for the part timers only licences for the potters and I'm not mixing the two up. The area I'm refering to is the North Eastern Sea Fisheries area of responsibility an area I believe you know rather well from your Whitby fishing days. The 10 pot rule only applies to this particular SFC and I was using it as an example of how other fisheries committies could also draught regulations of a similar vein.

Some posters on this thread have said that the shellfish fishing is in danger of collapse but from the lobster returns and the numbers of berried hens and juvenille lobsters I dont think that to be the case.

Hen lobsters have their tails nicked and berried hen get bought, tails nicked and returned to the water.Once compensation for the lobster has been paid and then returned it cannot be landed again , this was an idea that has been carried out in Ireland succesfully and adopted over here.

Fully agree with your sentiments about regulations on quotas as to a layman they dont seem to make any sense

[wurzel]

Hello steve

On the simula lines there.

 

It is difficult to distinguish, take for instance my no 1 son, when he was still at school he saved his money, money he worked very hard for, working for me during weekends and holidays,and he brought a 17 foot dory and using old bits of net of mine and some times some herring nets another fisherman lent him, he fished in the shelterd waters around Mersea Island, getting there by bus,

It was valuable experience for him and it paid better than any paper round.

I should imagine there are lots of yougsters around the coast of the UK do or have done the same,

 

I think we are all addicted to catching fish, some do it with rods some with nets some even with spears or spear guns the buzz is just the same, it dosn't matter whether you are 10 year old fishing the local canal or a skipper of a 100 ft super trawler there is no knowen cure, and we all get waspy when somebody tries to stop us.

[wurzel]

Brian

I agree about the lobster stocks.

They have done a lot of v notching in this area as well.

How are the North Eastern SFC restricting the part time potters to only 10 pots? if they are registered and licenced I can't see how they can, there would be a riot here, what do they class as part time, I know one chap who has a wholesale fish business,a wet fish shop and he ownes a small boat and works 400 pots, he dosn't class himself as a part timer.

[Guest stevie cop]

Hello Peter

I know that you don't consider there's a problem with fish stocks, and who am I to argue, but surely if there were plenty of fish, all these part time fishermen would be full time fishermen! They have obviously had to find other jobs to make a decent living.

 

I did an apprenticeship when I left school and became a bricklayer. When the recession hit in the late 80's, it became harder and harder to find work. When we could find work our wages were being cut almost weekly because there was a surplus of bricklayers and there was always someone who was prepared to work for less money. Getting laid off was a regular thing. I had to give up my trade in order to earn a regular wage. I never considered it my right to keep laying bricks, I just did what I had to.

 

So lets say that there is actually a problem with the fish stocks. Why should the part timers be able to take the cream off the milk when things are good, and sit at home with their feet up when they aren't so good? It must just make it harder for the likes of yourself to keep on making a living. The term hobby fishermen sums it up. As you say, they do it because they enjoy it, earning good money sometimes makes it even more enjoyable no doubt! But they are adding to the problem of over fishing and people like you are, or soon will be, suffering because of it.

 

Maybe they should take up angling!

[wurzel]

A very good point Steve,

And I am to tired to think of a answer, the only thing I can think off at the moment is that most part timers I know are not paticaly good fishermen, and what they catch is hardly worth the effort.

 

I'll think on it a bit more.

 

good night.

[Guest jay_con]

Caught an 8 pounder tonight in the final match Jaffa so I managed to cling onto third.

[Jaffa]

Nice one and congratulations

 

Red or green? and what was the full story (including bait details of course ), description of gear, mark and all the rest? When did you figure it was that big or suspect it might be better/worse?

 

Come on spill the beans