Sea Fishing - Catch Limits

[Appleman]

In the summer months fishing for trout I am required to buy a permit…a rod licence and am told by the trout fishery the maximum number of trout I am allowed to take home. Part of the reason here is to preserve the fisheries precious commodity and secondly to make sure their books balance…If I took more than the limits imposed assuming I was caught I would undoubtedly get a life ban and a suitable dressing down.

When my piscatorial pursuits take me to coastal waters none of the above applies I can pretty much do as I wish…In theory I could keep catching and keeping fish over and over and over. The fact is I don’t…I don’t need to, I would never eat them all and in my own little way I feel I am helping fish stocks by putting the majority back…I am no tree hugger but I simply do not see the sense in taking more fish than I am ever likely to eat.

The forums are generally fairly expressive about fishing being on its chinstrap and everyone seems to recall it being better with most people having a theory or three as to why…It’s the El Nino effect…It’s the trawlers…Global Warming…The wrong weather…and blah, blah, blah…

So….When someone tells me of a fishing compatriot taking 37 pound plus Whiting off of Chesil home for tea we can add crass angling stupidity to the list of reasons why fishing used to be better…To give this some perspective fish last up to 6 Months in the freezer so you would have to eat 1 and a half pounds of Whiting every week for six Months to get through it all. My money is on these fish being at the bottom of this chaps freezer this time next year and eventually making it to the bin which is a total waste.

In the bigger scheme of things these 37 fish are a drop in the ocean but if we all did this week in week out we are significantly contributing to declining fish stocks…

Hopefully this may strike a chord with a few people and may even influence some old habits…If a few more fish make it back then we are doing our bit to keep the sport going. I don’t want to have to be explaining to my lad in 20 Years time what a Cod or Bass once was…I want to be out catching them with him and showing him what they are, how they fight and what great fun it is catching them.

I am not usually one to gripe and get up on my soap box but this tale of fishing ‘success’ really got my goat over the weekend...

[npsari]

hmm, you got some good points there mate
You got to chill out now