They ll be happy when its all gone

[gullyworm]

I read this article in the Times the other day and its really pissed me off.
After five years of exclusion zones and Cod qoatas we start to a slight recovery in Cod numbers.
Then against the advice of scientists ,Greenpeace and every other group with an ounce of knowledge our bloody MPs are recomending an increase in the number of Cod that can be caught to stop the discard overboard of dead fish.Rubbish.
Im no expert but wont the fishermen still reach there limits and have to throw back fish anyway?
Surely the answers are -More exclusion zones,larger mesh size,square mesh or just pay them all off and have done with it?
After all this goverment bailed out northern rock to the tune of 25 billion so the odd million to scrap a few boats woulkd be peanuts.
Have a read and see what you think,rant over

Britain urges rise in cod quota to cut number of dead fish thrown backValerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
Britain is to press Brussels for higher quotas of cod stocks next year to reduce the number of dead fish thrown back into the North Sea.

But experts say that it is too soon to allow British fishermen to catch more cod while stocks are still recovering.

The International Council for the Exploration of Species (ICES), which advises the European Commission on fish stocks, believes that such a move could help to destroy the long-term future of the species in the North Sea and that the problem of discarded fish can be dealt with by changes to industry practices.

The ICES is demanding that Britain’s cod quota is cut by about 50 per cent next year. The quota for this year was 20,000 tonnes, but next year the council has suggested 11,500 tonnes.

Jonathan Shaw, the Fisheries Minister, indicated yesterday that he was ready to do battle in Europe to allow fishermen to land more cod. He blames the quota regime for the high numbers of fish — sometimes as much as 60 per cent of a catch — that must be dumped at sea. Fishermen face prosecution if they exceed their quotas.

Mr Shaw agreed with Joe Borg, the EU Fisheries Commissioner, that it was “immoral” to discard dead fish.

His intervention surprised many green organisations and some accused him of bowing to pressure from British fishermen struggling to make a living.

The government stance suggests greater sympathy for the plight of fishing communities from Gordon Brown’s administration than during the Blair decade.

In the mixed fishery of the North Sea, fishermen accidentally catch more of their cod quota when they are trawling for haddock or whiting. If these extra fish are taken back to port, the fishermen are in breach of EU regulations. Yet much of this fish is suitable for human consumption and fishermen are that instead of boosting their cash flow they have to watch the dead fish being eaten by gulls.

The industry is clearly attempting to raise a public debate before the Fisheries Council next month where next year’s quotas are to be agreed.

Mr Shaw said yesterday that he hoped to win a “modest” higher quota for cod and made clear that he had to pay heed to commercial pressure to ensure a viable fishing industry.

He said: “The crisis of throwing fish back is immoral. We don’t want that to continue. So we have to find a balanced range of measures to ensure that the fishing industry is sustainable and also that we have the conservation measures in place. Our scientists on board vessels, working with the fishermen, believe that this is a proportionate way forward.”

Mr Shaw is also keen to create marine reserves where fishing is banned while young fish are spawned to protect future stocks.

The introduction of new fishing nets is also being examined as a matter of urgency as well as the use of creels to catch prawns instead of nets. Henrik Sparholt, a fisheries scientist at the ICES, said good stocks of cod were born in 2005, but it was important to allow them to grow to adulthood and spawn. This takes four years.

[Gremlin]

This hit home with me ...

what I've been saying out loud for a long time; the only response I got was apathy ('leave us alone') from RSAs and outright aggression from commercials.

Have a read ....

http://www.sacn.org.uk/Opinion/Nobody_Asked_Me.html

If you want to send Mr Shaw a message ....

Jonathan.Shaw@defra.gsi.gov.uk

[maghouse]

Very interesting but the government have hidden agendas .... they will bail out the commercial fleet whatever otherwise there will be a loss of jobs etc which will damage their figures and alienate all the fishing towns etc - they wont do that ... hence the MLS for Bass rule being scrapped ....

However, I find it ironic that UK fishermen are limited to the hilt yet the EU trawlers are free to come and go and catch whatever they like - as ever just the UK being penalised.

I'm no expert in commercial fishing at all, but having read lots recently - I see 2 things which will improve our fishing stocks no end ...

1. The golden mile - no commercial fishing within one mile of shore

2. To count the discard as part of the trawlers quota so at least the fish caught undersize can be kept sold and used instead of being dumped - but to retain the net sizes so the fishermen will have to make every effort to minimize the by-catch or have it counted as part of their quota.

My rant over ...

[cod head]

i totaly agree with your comments we need a goverment that has the balls to stand up to the eu trawlers, when they come in to our waters conferscate their boats or send them packing with out their catch plus a heafty fine.
what dose brown know about fishing as long as he is lineing his pockets with cash what dose he care about our fish stocks .