Bass Shambles!

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Bass Shambles!

 

[Paul Boote]

The UK’s fisheries minister, George Eustice, hailed the deal as a triumph for Britain’s dwindling fishing fleets. He said: “Although these were difficult negotiations, I am pleased that we were able to secure the best possible deal to ensure sustainable fisheries and a strong UK fishing industry. While fishermen had feared there would be major cuts, we were able to keep the same quota as last year for many species, in addition to important increases to the North Sea cod and haddock quota, which will benefit Scottish fishermen.”

Fishing quotas defy scientists’ advice | Environment | The Guardian



Useless Eustice, a man merely looking to save his electoral ars longa vita brevis at next May's polls by keeping his netsmen constituents sweet. Weakest link. Goodbye.

 

[greenie62]

...Useless Eustice, a man merely looking to save his electoral ars longa vita brevis at next May's polls by keeping his netsmen constituents sweet. Weakest link. Goodbye.

Nice post Paul!
:thumbs:

 

[nicepix]

Something of a Hippocrate if you ask me.

 

[thecrow]

from what I have been reading seems that the AT and in particular Mr Salter have really annoyed recreational sea anglers by telling them they were not looking for bag limits while at the same time asking HMG for a 2 fish limit,
Couldn't make it up.

 

[martinsalter]

Usual nonsense from Crow. Loads of support for the campaign being run jointly with BASS. Eustice has had plenty of MPs correspondence due to lobbying from anglers responding to our call to arms. Our position on bag limits couldn't be clearer and is set out in the parliamentary briefing on our website.

"In 2012 the previous Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, instigated a review into the evidence supporting this measure. However, the outcomes of this review have yet to be made public and we hope that the results can be released in the near future. Raising the minimum legal size for bass from 36cms to 45cms in the UK would achieve the following outcomes:

Contribute towards the necessary 80 per cent reduction in catches recommended by ICES which is highly unlikely to be achieved by EU measures alone.
Improve the recruitment of bass and protect the year classes upon which a stock recovery will have to be built.
Contribute to the UK’s obligation under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy to achieve maximum sustainable yield for all stocks.
Reduce the fishing mortality from both recreational and commercial fishing in a fair and even-handed way.
Sow the seed for the development and long term increased profitability of the £5m commercial and £200m recreational bass fisheries in the UK.
Demonstrate good practice fisheries management by not targeting immature stocks.
Deliver a positive conservation message from the Government to the estimated 886,000 sea anglers in England and the proportion of the 23,600 people employed in England who are reliant in full, or in part, on an abundant UK recreational bass fishery
Reduce discards by phasing out damaging inshore targeted juvenile bass otter trawl fisheries in the Bristol Channel and elsewhere.
Raising the minimum legal size for bass is, in itself, not the single answer to protecting and restoring the UK’s bass fishery; a fully inclusive package of measures is also needed on top of the EU proposals including:

Strengthening and enforcing the UK's network of bass nursery areas.
Taking steps to incentivise the line-caught fishery to improve selectivity and reduce unwanted fishing mortality.
Re-profile the current exploitation pattern away from fishing methods that have the biggest negative impacts on stocks towards methods that are most environmentally friendly, selective, and generate the best return from the fishery.
Decreasing the catch limit per commercial boat per week to ensure we achieve the 80% necessary and to get closer to all commercial fishermen making a contribution to solving this issue, thus ensuring fairness between commercial and recreational sectors, without risking increasing discards.
When the points above have been addressed, considering the introduction of bag limits for recreational anglers and a consideration of slot size limits to protect bigger, more fertile, trophy fish from unnecessary harvesting."

 

[bennygesserit]

comment deleted

 

[thecrow]

Usual nonsense from Crow. Loads of support for the campaign being run jointly with BASS. Eustice has had plenty of MPs correspondence due to lobbying from anglers responding to our call to arms. Our position on bag limits couldn't be clearer and is set out in the parliamentary briefing on our website.

"In 2012 the previous Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, instigated a review into the evidence supporting this measure. However, the outcomes of this review have yet to be made public and we hope that the results can be released in the near future. Raising the minimum legal size for bass from 36cms to 45cms in the UK would achieve the following outcomes:

Contribute towards the necessary 80 per cent reduction in catches recommended by ICES which is highly unlikely to be achieved by EU measures alone.
Improve the recruitment of bass and protect the year classes upon which a stock recovery will have to be built.
Contribute to the UK’s obligation under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy to achieve maximum sustainable yield for all stocks.
Reduce the fishing mortality from both recreational and commercial fishing in a fair and even-handed way.
Sow the seed for the development and long term increased profitability of the £5m commercial and £200m recreational bass fisheries in the UK.
Demonstrate good practice fisheries management by not targeting immature stocks.
Deliver a positive conservation message from the Government to the estimated 886,000 sea anglers in England and the proportion of the 23,600 people employed in England who are reliant in full, or in part, on an abundant UK recreational bass fishery
Reduce discards by phasing out damaging inshore targeted juvenile bass otter trawl fisheries in the Bristol Channel and elsewhere.
Raising the minimum legal size for bass is, in itself, not the single answer to protecting and restoring the UK’s bass fishery; a fully inclusive package of measures is also needed on top of the EU proposals including:

Strengthening and enforcing the UK's network of bass nursery areas.
Taking steps to incentivise the line-caught fishery to improve selectivity and reduce unwanted fishing mortality.
Re-profile the current exploitation pattern away from fishing methods that have the biggest negative impacts on stocks towards methods that are most environmentally friendly, selective, and generate the best return from the fishery.
Decreasing the catch limit per commercial boat per week to ensure we achieve the 80% necessary and to get closer to all commercial fishermen making a contribution to solving this issue, thus ensuring fairness between commercial and recreational sectors, without risking increasing discards.
When the points above have been addressed, considering the introduction of bag limits for recreational anglers and a consideration of slot size limits to protect bigger, more fertile, trophy fish from unnecessary harvesting."

So you are saying that what I read is not true then? please let me know I can then inform the author of the piece I read that its all untrue.

Perhaps you could also let me know why you didn't answer a question asked of you on your FB page about the same thing.

Strange that anything that criticises you or the trust is viewed by you as nonsense, being an ex MP would qualify you to know what nonsense is though wouldn't it?

 

[greenie62]

So you are saying that what I read is not true then? please let me know I can then inform the author of the piece I read that its all untrue....

Hi thecrow,
Unfortunately, you quoted Martin's comments in full when we could read them ourselves with a quick scroll-up and back, but have neglected to quote or give source-attribution of 'the piece I read'. If you are making a valid point we should be aware of - could you please help us understand it - rather than give Martin more ammunition to confirm his opinion of your 'anti' stance.
You are likely to garner more support for your views if we have a clearer view of the subject matter.
Many Thanks!

 

[thecrow]

Hi thecrow,
Unfortunately, you quoted Martin's comments in full when we could read them ourselves with a quick scroll-up and back, but have neglected to quote or give source-attribution of 'the piece I read'. If you are making a valid point we should be aware of - could you please help us understand it - rather than give Martin more ammunition to confirm his opinion of your 'anti' stance.
You are likely to garner more support for your views if we have a clearer view of the subject matter.
Many Thanks!

Anyone that's interested can find where I have read these and other comments from recreational sea anglers (theres a clue there)

Interesting how awkward questions that are asked on MS's and the trust FB pages just disappear and never get answered, perhaps that's nonsense as well.

As for quoting all that was said , well isn't that my choice? I don't require any support for my views, they are what they are and until something changes them they will stay that way.

---------- Post added at 12:58 ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 ----------

Have a read here and see how the Angling Trust worm turns, trust is the last thing they should have in there
title.Anger over EU plans to limit anglers to catching one sea bass a day to combat 'worrying' decline - Environment - The Independent

Or how about this piece from the September briefieng that had strangely disappeared by the time the November one came out.

Reduced Daily Bag Limit from 2 to 1 fish in any 24 hour period to reduce exploitation. Thereafter catch
and release would operate. Voluntary catch and release is widely practised in the bass fishery. Development
of best practise guidelines are required to minimise any mortality due to poor handling and a review of
ongoing improvements in angling hook technology is recommended

All nonsense is it? I don't think so!!! Very strange that Mr Salter who was on line in this forum is now off line without giving any answers!!!

 

[nicepix]

In September the Angling Trust forwarded a briefing to Parliament giving examples of how other countries are dealing with the bass problem including:

Reduced Daily Bag Limit from 2 to 1 fish in any 24 hour period to reduce exploitation. Thereafter catch
and release would operate. Voluntary catch and release is widely practised in the bass fishery. Development
of best practise guidelines are required to minimise any mortality due to poor handling and a review of
ongoing improvements in angling hook technology is recommended.

And in November The Times quotes the Angling Trust as:

But the decision to impose restrictions on anglers rather than the commercial fishermen also partly responsible for the crisis is proving controversial.

The Angling Trust told The Times that the proposed limit was “grossly disproportionate” and would threaten thousands of jobs on charter boats, in fishing shops and at seaside pubs and guest houses.

If you sow the seed...............

 

[thecrow]

Better put than I could NP thanks, I doubt there will be an answer from either Mr Salter or the trust themselves, this type of thing only reinforces my views of the trust and SOME of those within it as being full of their own self importance being so important they think anglers don't have memories.

 

[Paul Boote]

Fellas, less Party politics and personalities and a misplaced sense of entitlement ("I caught it, I can do what the hell I like with it..."), more about fish, in this case British bass.

Just a huge pity that bass are so edible and now so re-sale valuable - everyone and his net and rod and designer kitchen and Gastro Pub wants a piece of them.

I have had my share of bass, since taking my first, a schoolie, on a trailed traditional mackerel-spinner from a little, hired motorboat in Poole Harbour when I was nine or ten. The body was proudly taken back to the fine old Linden Hall Hotel in Boscombe (demolished and turned into flat several years ago by the David Lloyd Sports and Leisure chain), where Bill, the black-tailcoated Vampire-like Head and Wine waiter, posed with me and the fish outside the hotel entrance for my Dad's camera. Lovely B&W photo of Bill putting a finger in the little bass's mouth and mugging an "Oo!" face for the camera.

A lot of bass since.

But even when they were thick on the ground - spinning from the shore, wading estuaries, trotting the same, flyfishing since the late 1970s, never on boats (to me a bit like "cheating") - when Gordon and I and a Welsh-speaking Welshpool headmaster back home to see family and friends took bass in numbers, we returned everything of less than 4.5 to 5 pounds and only ever took two fish home. Think of that, think of just how good (but not easy) the fishing was until the late 1970s / early '80s when populations crashed as the gillnetters etc went after bass big-time....

Less person-nailing, I reckon, fellas, more "Just what are we going to do save the ruddy fish?".

That's all.

 

[thecrow]

And a bit more honesty from the trust and some of those involved with it would be to much to expect would it? or would that be nonsense as well? truth is Mr Salter has once again damaged the already tarnished reputation of the trust.

"Person Nailing" whats that? if its exposing double standards by those that claim to represent us all I will continue to do it whenever I see the need.

 

[Paul Boote]

Please Note: No defence by me of anyone or any Org / Trust / Soc. etc, here or anywhere else, at any time.

I join NOTHING, so that, like the late Frank Zappa, who termed the expression, I can remain an unbidden and unbuyable and uncompromised "Equal Opportunities Basher".

This way, irrespective of any commercial or political or in-crowd affiliation, if someone or something really needs a stop-them-in-their-tracks bashing, I am the man who can do it, without fear or favour - which does tend to rather worry some!

Anyway, more about fish and less about attention-seeking, soon to run for the hills, cosy retirees, barrack-room lawyers and also-rans, the latter grouping often being the cause of many a fishy problem and who then have the temerity to make a living out of trying to fix it.

Fish first, fools later, much later, if at all.

 

[thecrow]

Anyway, more about fish and less about attention-seeking, soon to run for the hills, cosy retirees, barrack-room lawyers and also-rans, the latter grouping often being the cause of many a fishy problem and who then have the temerity to make a living out of trying to fix it

I think you will find I am none of those things, what I am is someone who will peck away at things until I am down to the bone.

 

[nicepix]

This way, irrespective of any commercial or political or in-crowd affiliation, if someone or something really needs a stop-them-in-their-tracks bashing, I am the man who can do it, without fear or favour - which does tend to rather worry some!

Could you give some examples of this?

 

[thecrow]

Could you give some examples of this?

Seems examples are as rare as answers from MS, one lives in hope.

 

[nicepix]

Seems examples are as rare as answers from MS, one lives in hope.

It would be interesting to hear from Martin Salter just why they put the idea of anglers bag limits being reduced as a conservation measure, and then squealed about it to the press when the Government picked up on the idea.

As for our friend it seems that he is still deluding himself. Nobody else. Just himself.

 

[Paul Boote]

Usual suspects having a non-topic conversation about another member, I see. See you in a few days, fellas - that's if the rest of you want informed fishing talk and not failed master-baiters doing it in public.