Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Leon Roskilly]

Cod has been added to the list of species, along with salmon and tuna, that EU nations have to declare to the EU the amount of fish taken in 'recreational fisheries (which in some countries is more netting and trawling than rod and lining).

Now, I can see where that might lead in light of the EU's cod recovery programme.

(Tuna was recently made subject to a one fish per angling boat bag limit).

Rather than DEFRA getting around to putting up angling bag limit proposals for cod, I expect that it will be an EU regulation that comes out of the blue.

(Though SFCs could introduce a bag limit quite quickly within their district as well.  Incidentally, the current SFC bag limit proposals for bass have nothing to do with conservation, it's about being able to nick the boats that come in with 30 - 50 bass a trip, obviously for sale but the SFCs can't get the evidence, bag limits proposed have been around 5-6 fish per angler, which many are happy with who fail to understand the basic principle that once accepted, it might be 2 fish or 1 fish or maybe zero fish in future years).

We already have this in Belgium

"By ministerial decision of 26 February, 2003, it is from 1 March forbidden fishermen in a boat without a fishing licence to keep on board more than 20 kg of cod and bass with a maximum of 15 kg cod per person (which makes it perfectly legal for lets say eight anglers to catch and land 8 x 15 kg of cod as I understand it). The fish must remain whole but it can be eviscerated " 

Now if bag limits for cod do appear on the radar, we have three alternatives.


1. Do nothing and live with them as best we can

2. Fight the proposals like hell

3. Come up with a formulae that we can live with

The problem comes in making a choice between 2 & 3.

Do we have a cat in hell's chance of winning if we go for total opposition and refuse to cut a deal, knowing that if we lose we get what we are given with no chance to negotiate.

Or if we do feel that there is no way that we can defeat proposals for a bag limit on anglers, Do we instead argue as hard as we can for something that we can live with?

The problem being that anyone going down that route is likely to be accused of selling anglers down the river.

Perhaps safer to stay out of it and safely watch the ship go down from the shore, rather trying to board and save it and be blamed for it's sinking.

However, if one is going to fight for the best deal possible, there are some arguments to be used.

The commercials, backed up by the rules of the CFP, argue that conservation needs have to be balanced against the needs of fishermen.

So charter boats especially could work out how big a bag limit they need to maintain their business and the viability of the charter fleet and fight for that as a reasonable compromise, rather than trying to argue against any bag limit at all.   

An argument that they could use is that every kg of cod landed by an angling charter boat puts far much more into the economy than a kg of trawled fish, and therefore to attain the most economic and social value from the stock, the needs of the angling charter fleet should be given preference over the needs of the commercial boats, if there is a need to do that. 

Shore angling and match fishing could also argue on similar lines, though I fear that measure and return would have a part to play, alongsid bag limits.

So, accepting that we could be looking at bag limits on cod, how should that be played?

- Don't bother fighting it?

- Fight it even though it will probably be wasted effort.

- Look at what deals are possible that might not be all that we want but is better than nothing, and if so, what can we live with?

- Something that I haven't thought of, but hopefully you will.

Oh! and should we really be talking about this, giving the eurocrats ideas that we might even contemplate a deal :eek:  !!

 

 

 

[Tags:]

Tags: bass licence rsa strategy nfsa sacn 

[Baramundi Bob]

Leon,

If DEFRA or anyone else wanted to look at a way of conserving fish stocks then what better place to start than with discards from the commercial industry. Within this forum you are amongst x trawlermen (real ones - not the type who frequent anglers with an aim of causing trouble - who havent seen a trawler for 20 years or more), you have people currently involved in the fishing industry. They may wish to remain anonymous they may not. But they will know what I'm talking about when I mention the words discards. This is a huge problem locally and for anyone to suggest anglers are effecting fish stocks is an utter disgrace. DEFRA for some reason live in fear of tackling the real issues but they are there and need sorting, its ludicrous to point the finger at anglers.

Then we've also had years of illegal fishing on this coastline whilst defra and the eu turned a blind eye. To come to us now and say were going to restrict your catches for conservation purposes is ludicrous. Defra's contribution to conservation is rather like Iraq's to human rights. They are having a laugh.

My opinion is you tell DEFRA where to go, Id rather have something forced on me than play along with them.

[Doc]

I just don't think the people representing us at meetings have an understanding of fishing in this part of the world.

The only talk I ever heard of bag levels was a 2 fish per species bag (how much truth there was in that I don't know - but it did come from a trusted source). Would probably mean switching to biggest fish matches and anglers retaining fish until they caught a bigger one. Not an ideal situation I know.

That is so far from reality Glenn, that I'm amazed you can publicly state that as a fact.

Yes I fish 30 miles south of you, but our club matches are exactly the same, heaviest bag rovers.  In fact this year many of our clubs match weights have probably been consistently greater than the clubs north of us, including Whitby SAA (48lb, 44lb, 38lb, 33lb etc.).  We are in exactly the same position with exactly the same type of fishing, the only difference is that you fish off rocks and scars, we fish off storm beaches.  The targets are the same, as many cod as you can catch, if not then whiting.  Why do you believe that WSAA is completely different to any other club in the NE and that nobody understands or accounts for you?  We may be different to clubs in other parts of the country, principally due to the fact that we are blessed with better fishing, but over in the NW, many matches are biggest bag rovers, especially on the Mersey and adjacent waters.  Whitby SAA is not unique in terms of its fishing, it will not be the only area affected by such ridiculous restrictions, DEFRA have been told in no uncertain terms of the impact to club and community fishing as a result of bag limits.  The proof of whether they have listened or give a damn, will be seen if and when they push such restrictions forward.

We have consistently banged the drum wrt the impact a bag limit would have on NE sea angling, especially club matches and charter boat fishing, the fact is that DEFRA do not differentiate between the NE, SE or the SW.  This is primarily due to a complete lack of understanding of the issues that affect RSA, in the same way that they are unable to understand issues that impact commercial fishing.

To date I've heard nobody in DEFRA talk about bag limits on any species other than bass, this I suspect was to offset the potential impact to and furore from the commercial sector.  I have been told that cod is not being considered as a potential species for restriction, although given DEFRA and the ministers track record, I'll reserve my judgement on that.  The only talk I've heard with regard to the extent of any bag limit (Numbers) is from anglers, so where 2 fish has come from I don't know.  Its too easy to pick a figure out of the air and quote it.

Not having a go fella, but lets stop pretending that everyman and his dog is out to get WSAA.  We are all in this together, we will all be affected by bag limits and therefore its down to all of us to fight this.  I can understand your anger and am aware that you don't like the NFSA, SACN etc. and that you blame them for our current plight.  I do know that this isn't actually true and this has been coming for quite sometime.  The main driver may well be taxation, but the EU is certainly driving the potential bag limit issue.  Neither the NFSA or SACN hold any creed with the EU, we are not important enough, therefore RSA is being pushed into a corner by European beaurocrats, who as Wurzel frequently states are the real need to manage brigade, DEFRA are just the UK gangmasters, who are out to make a few quid at the same time.

For what its worth, I don't think our battles in the future will be fought against the commercial sector, the only group who are gaining considerable strength are the Green NGO's, they are standing by whilst we go head to head with each other and they'll pick up the peices and sweep us into obscurity.  Its the greens in Brussels who we really have to fear, not the mandarins in Whitehall or NFFO in Grimsby.

Doc.

[smokey]

"THAT IS SO FAR FROM REALITY GLENN,THAT I'M AMAZED YOU CAN PUBLICLY STATE THAT AS A FACT"

Firstly,where has Glenn "stated as fact" anything in the quote you posted??? ??? ???
Secondly where has Glenn said anything relating to WSAA only?
Glenn is speaking for the whole of the North East and because he has the balls to stand up and give his opinion on these ludicrous and un-needed measures, i salute him.The simple reason for there to be even talk about bag limits,like openly stated on here,came around regarding the South Coast Bass Fishing.The fishing and species they target down there are,on the whole different from the North East.So why the sudden need for there to be suggestions for limits up here??It should be an advised and locally discussed with the people who know what they are talking about by respected and knowlageable people,on a county/coastal basis.I fully agree with the Bass Limits down South,and would if they were proposed in the North East(Bass Only) i would not hesitate to give my vote as i am a dedicated angler who has a respect for angling.This is why i would strongly oppose any limits on cod as deep in my heart,i know that recreational anglers have very very little impact on the stocks of North Sea Cod.

[stuartmac]

Once again Leon has hit the nail on the head. The two million anglers are all individuals and the majority as Leon suggests have their head in the sand. Since January I have been advocating a co-ordinated response I have tried to amalgamate all the North East Fora and apart from Glen, Gwyn and Doc I have been talking to the wall. I e-mailed all the Northern Clubs (who advertise their e-mail) and none of them responded. I have advocated setting out some flyers to tackle shops etc. again I have had no consensus from the people who are now moaning. Gwyn's drive to resurrect the NFSA may be an answer but it would be a pity if the meeting was highjacked byt discussing the RSA Strategy instead of using the, hopefully new committee as the catalyst to engage as has been suggested.

[Baramundi Bob]

Fishing News Article