Save Our Cod And Stop Trawling

[jazzyjaz]

I SERIOUSLY THINK AS A SEA ANGLER I LOVE 2 FISH JUST LIKE U DO . BUT THERE COMES A TIME WHEN WE ALL NEED 2 SAY THIS. WE ALL MOAN ABOUT THE CURENT STATE OF FISHIN BUT I CAN SAY THIS HAND ON HEART IF SOMETHING AINT DONE ABOUT OUR COD AND TRAWLING THEN IN 10YEARS TIME THERE WONT BE ANY COD AROUND. SIT UP AND THINK ABOUT IT EVERY TIME WE WE KEEP A CODLING . THJE SEAS AROUND THE COAST HAVE BEEN OVERFISHED . WHY GO OUT ON A BOAT ? to take cod? WOULD U CHUK A 3LB COD BACK ? I WOULD . THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL 2 US ANGLERS THINK ABOUT THE STATE OF FISHING YES. IF U GENRALLY LOVE THE SPORT THEN THINK ABOUT IT WHAT STATE IT WILL BE IN ANOTHER 5 TO 10 YEARS.

[big guy]

i think that alot of sea anglers are thinking about conservation, especially the younger generation. i'm involved with a junior club and even kids of 8 or 9 years old seem to understand about the importance of putting fish back alive.

as for the trawling there are 2 things that need to be done-

1) larger net sizes so that the smaller fish can swim through and put a stop to the pointless killing and dumping of undersized fish.

2) ban the trawlers from abroad coming to our waters and taking huge amounts of our fish.

any of these measures need to be introduced now as in 5 or so years there won't be much there to protect.

all this is just my opinion of coarse.

[keana]

I agree with you guys. I realise only too well that conservation plays a major part in the protection of our fish stocks. I dont believe that us rod and line anglers are as much of a threat to stocks as trawlers (dont get me wrong I think we should all do our bit). Maybe there are more unscrupulous trawler fishermen out there than we actually realise. For example, there is a small trawler that works the Bristol channel. I`m not sure if it even operates with a licence or if anyone has ever challenged him. But I have seen it less than 20 metres from the shore on occasions dragging the low tide mark along Penarth. This surely cant be legal. I dread to think what his catch must consist of. But i`m pretty sure it must be picking up all sorts of fry. He does it usually in the Summer and i`m pretty sure the Bass fishing suffers because of it.

[Charter Skipper]

Originally Posted by keana

I agree with you guys. I realise only too well that conservation plays a major part in the protection of our fish stocks. I dont believe that us rod and line anglers are as much of a threat to stocks as trawlers (dont get me wrong I think we should all do our bit). Maybe there are more unscrupulous trawler fishermen out there than we actually realise. For example, there is a small trawler that works the Bristol channel. I`m not sure if it even operates with a licence or if anyone has ever challenged him. But I have seen it less than 20 metres from the shore on occasions dragging the low tide mark along Penarth. This surely cant be legal. I dread to think what his catch must consist of. But i`m pretty sure it must be picking up all sorts of fry. He does it usually in the Summer and i`m pretty sure the Bass fishing suffers because of it.

Small inshore trawlers can be a problem if there are loads of them in one area.The guy you have seen is full licensed and to be honest we know him very well,and for what he catches ,he`s not the problem.......and on the up side he gives us loads of info on where fish are at certain times of the year.,which benefits my anglers a lot.The big problem are the BIG trawlers which take fish in tonnes and just throw back everything they don`t want dead into the sea.

[upnorth1]

...well, everybody send their subs off to the NFSA, give them the funding they need, as they are the only OFFICIAL angling body that any government will listen too...More people go fishing than what watch premiership football - FACT!! - thats a lot of people - the government would sh*t themselves if we all surged upon it, with our demands in hand... THE TIME FOR TALK IS OVER - ACTION IS REQUIRED NOW!!!!!!!!!

[keana]

Originally Posted by Charter Skipper

Small inshore trawlers can be a problem if there are loads of them in one area.The guy you have seen is full licensed and to be honest we know him very well,and for what he catches ,he`s not the problem.......and on the up side he gives us loads of info on where fish are at certain times of the year.,which benefits my anglers a lot.The big problem are the BIG trawlers which take fish in tonnes and just throw back everything they don`t want dead into the sea.

Apologies for jumping in with both feet Mike. I stand corrected on the licence bit but it does affect shore fishing in the area after its done a couple of runs up and down the beach in such shallow water. I know people have to make a living and i`m glad to hear that this chap is licenced, in fact good luck to him and its great that he passes useful info on to you and your anglers, but does he really have to fish so close inshore...It really does affect us shallow water anglers and those of us who are limited to fishing sheltered waters in our small boats. I`d love to be able to venture a few miles across or down channel away from where this boat trawls but unfortunately we`re left to fish for the scraps left behind.

[Charter Skipper]

Originally Posted by keana

Apologies for jumping in with both feet Mike. I stand corrected on the licence bit but it does affect shore fishing in the area after its done a couple of runs up and down the beach in such shallow water. I know people have to make a living and i`m glad to hear that this chap is licenced, in fact good luck to him and its great that he passes useful info on to you and your anglers, but does he really have to fish so close inshore...It really does affect us shallow water anglers and those of us who are limited to fishing sheltered waters in our small boats. I`d love to be able to venture a few miles across or down channel away from where this boat trawls but unfortunately we`re left to fish for the scraps left behind.

I can see what youre saying ,but he doesn`t take a lot of fish in the net,they are not there to be taken.and to be honest i dont know why he bothers,as his catches are quite small,i personnaly wouldn`t do his job for what he gets out of it.

I think its not a case of the small inshore boys taking the fishing,unless they operate in groups,which does killl the fish population.The fishing has been damaged by years of over fishing by the big boys offshore,taking the cod and other fish before they get inshore in the first place.

[keana]

Thanks Mike.
Its reassuring to know that he`s not taking much away although I would never want to deny anyone their livelihood. I had visions of a small mesh net picking up anything that was going.
Thanks for your views mate.

[Portland Pirate]

I have to say that I am surprised by how little fish seem to be effected by trawlers. I was fishig one day for Tope on a mark ou of Weymouth. We were doing very well when we spotted a trawler coming our way. He passed within 50m of us and I thought that it would be the end of our fishing for the day. Far from it. Within minutes we had a double hook up of the biggest Tope of the day followed by another Tope and a 14lb Blonde Ray.

[gullyworm]

Originally Posted by upnorth1

...well, everybody send their subs off to the NFSA, give them the funding they need, as they are the only OFFICIAL angling body that any government will listen too...More people go fishing than what watch premiership football - FACT!! - thats a lot of people - the government would sh*t themselves if we all surged upon it, with our demands in hand... THE TIME FOR TALK IS OVER - ACTION IS REQUIRED NOW!!!!!!!!!

Well said,were all very good at moaning about fish stocks but how many of us are doing anything about it?
If we all stopped moaning for a while and joined the NFSA giving it more funds and power to lobby the government we may get somewhere,until we all do our bit then Cod and many other fish will go the same way as the Dodo.
Act now or catch Pout