Guernsey SFC Release 2005 Stats

[FishingGuernsey]

Boy are these stats showing a big problem with the bass...

 

 

 

Statistic report has just appeared on their website. It's a bit large at over 5MB but I don't have the software to shrink it a bit. have copied it to be hosted by me. Link below. You will need broadband.

 

 

 

Of interest is the fact that bass landings increased from 127tonnes to 173 tonnes. I make that a 36% increase. no wonder they want bag limits to try and save some of the fish. problem is that these figures are 100% commercials from logbooks.

 

 

 

Note also the Boue Blondel langings have increased from 55 to 85 tonnes. Not a small increase!!!!! All fish from this mark are breeders.

 

 

 

This as gone way to far but they say it is sustainable as the tagged fish have not been caught and catches continue to increase...

 

 

 

http://www.fishing-guernsey.co.uk/SACN/2005report.pdf

 

 

 

Comments??

 

 

 

Andy

Edited September 13, 2006 by FishingGuernsey

[Steve Coppolo]

Comments??

 

 

 

Andy

 

What's the bass fishing been like this year compared to last year?

[FishingGuernsey]

Personally, pretty poor and small fish.

[FishingGuernsey]

Just notcied as well, reading the rest of the reprt that pair trawing effort increased in the winter months Jan feb march frm 14 days to 37 days. Now what could they be fishing for in those months in the middle of winter???

[Steve Coppolo]

Personally, pretty poor and small fish.

 

Well that says it all to me.

 

They can only be caught once and when they are gone, they are gone. Seems like yet another superb bass fishery has gone down the tubes thanks to commercial over fishing. The proof will be in next years report. I'd put money on the tonnage being down on this year.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Steve Coppolo

[Sharkbyte]

Bass landings in 2005 were the highest ever taken in a calendar year by GU registered

vessels reflecting the high abundance of this species in Channel waters.

 

2003 49.2 tonnes

2004 127.8 tonnes

2005 173 tonnes

 

 

How come the same trumped up science does not apply to the flatties.

 

Brill landings UP from 9.4 tonnes in 2003 to 9.8 tonnes in 2004 and reaching 13.8 tonnes for 2005.

Turbot landings UP from 4.3 tonnes in 2003 to 7.0 tonnes for 2004 and 2005 saw 8.1 tonnes.

 

Silly me, it's obvious, we should all get out there and bring 173 tonnes back to the dock thus reflecting a high abundance of the species in Channel waters. Problem solved.

[FishingGuernsey]

I have to say Steve that I have put a fair bit of effort in this year as several people have come over for he fishing wanting to catch bass with me and the results have been poor to say the least.

 

Also of note are the figures on bream...

 

SFC have a lot to answer for. Bloody politicians really don't have a clue, the commercials need bag limits on charter boats so they have more turbot/brill to catch as they are running out of bass...

[Sharkbyte]

What's the bass fishing been like this year compared to last year?

 

Steve, inshore Bass fishing has been pants this year. Having been so **** at the lack of sport we paid a couple of our old Black Bream spots a visit. They are usually a given but failed to produce anyway near the numbers they used to. The average size has fallen considerably also, a 3lb'er used to be classed as distinctly average as the majority used to top that, some by a considerable margin. Sad times.

[Steve Coppolo]

Steve, inshore Bass fishing has been pants this year. Having been so **** at the lack of sport we paid a couple of our old Black Bream spots a visit. They are usually a given but failed to produce anyway near the numbers they used to. The average size has fallen considerably also, a 3lb'er used to be classed as distinctly average as the majority used to top that, some by a considerable margin. Sad times.

 

 

Sad indeed. The fall in average size seems consistent with areas around the UK that have experienced a sharp decline in sport over the last decade or so. I'm sorry to say, I know from experience that living in hope of the big fish returning is folly. Deep down we know what's happened, it's just accepting it that's the difficult part.

 

If nothing changes I would expect the average size of the fish you catch over there to decrease further year on year until it reaches a point, probably in a year or two, when you wonder whether it's worth the effort going out.

 

But there's no such thing as over fishing.

[Toerag]

The 45tonne increase to 173 tonnes is mostly accounted for by the 30 tonne increase in BB catches, and the rest will be from the increase in hours put in in late summer.

I've just compared the effort in hours put in on BB. 2004 - 55 tonnes in 3539 hours, 2005 - 85 tonnes in ~5900 hours. That works out at 15.54kg/hour for 2004 and 14.4kg/hour for 2005, so the 'catch per unit effort' has virtually remained constant. Catches have risen, but so has the effort. Personally I would say the average size has dropped, however people are getting better at catching the fish so the quantity has compensated for the quality in terms of tonnage. I think the 2006 report will show a drop in CPUE because the fishing was definitely harder this year.

Interestingly, although ICES state that the stock is healthy, they also state that there should not be an increase in effort, which is blatantly what the graphs are demonstrating.

As to the figures only coming from commercial logbooks, you only rarely see unlicensed boats there, the fishing is too hardcore for most people. The stats however don't account for the Weymouth pro bass boat and Jersey charterboat that took part this year, so you can add another 2-4? tonnes to the figures.

 

Bream fishing - what was it like last year, and the year before that, because they only had 40-odd tonnes last year compared to the 150-odd the year before. Did last year's catches display a rise compared to this year and 3 years ago?

Pairtrawling in winter - black bream & bass. But that's a drop in the ocean compared to what the Frenchies are getting.

 

Sharkbyte - yes, the flattie stats don't tally up with the logic. The case is better for the anglers, however I think some of the proposals will still get through.

Edited September 14, 2006 by Toerag