Angler's Mail Irresponsible?

[Ray Roberts]

A couple of weeks ago I bought a copy of the Angler's Mail. One of the articles on pike fishingwritten byMark Barrett advocated fishing the shallower areas of waters at this time of year as he saidthe fish were moving into them in order to spawn, so not only were they there in numbers they would also be easier to catch.

I don't make a habit of writing to magazines but I sent an e mail to the letters page as I was incensed that the fishes welfare was not only being put at risk by the angler in question but he was also encouraging others to follow his example. This is thee mailI wrote to the Angler's Mail:

What on earth was Angler's Mail thinking of when it published the
article by Mark Barrett last week?

Advocating the catching pike that have moved onto their spawning
grounds is irresponsible to say the least, but coming from the General
Secretary of the PAC, it is unforgivable.

Surely the second paragraph of the article says it all: “A female pike
will lay thousands of eggs during spawning and it’s said that for
every million eggs laid only a dozen or so pike will grow to
maturity”.

If Mark truly believes this to be the case, then why is he pursuing
them and encouraging others to do the same when the fish are gravid
and at their most vulnerable? Does the welfare of the fish and their
successful breeding not take precedence over another trophy shot?

Well fellow anglers, what do you think?

 

[Wolfman Woody]

Ahhh! Therein lies the question.

Makes a mockery of having a close season, but I guess the fish are in a lake anyway? Still, I do believe and always have that when any fish are spawning in an area they should be left alone.

Unless, if in this case, there is a pike problem on the water and you don't want any further recruitment of pike, but then you would hardly hear of that from a PAC member let alone the General Secretary.

I slated another "top" angler a few years ago for targeting spawning tench (during the proper season) in an article. I just find is disgraceful and hypocritical.

 

[davestocker]

I understand that pike can go sniffing around in the shallows as early as January looking for suitable spawning habitat. They don't have to be spawning to be there, they might just be looking.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I don't have an axe to grind over the close season or with Mark Barratt personally as I have never met the man. I thought the entire article a bit strange as at the start of the article he states that very few make it through to adult fish and then advocates catching them when they are preparing to spawn.

 

[Gary Newman]

Ray,
I'm not convinced that being caught would have much affect on the eggs inside the fish - after all you only have to look at the way they thrash around when spawning or watch a salmon being stripped of its eggs by hand.
I would have thought that the most dangerous time for the fish would be after spawning when they are exhausted, and if caught then i can see that it might not do them any good.
Fish carry eggs for large parts of the year and it is only prior to spawning that they hydrate these eggs by taking on water.

 

[ANDY SKI]

edited

 

[Ray Roberts]

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Gary Newman wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>Ray, I'm not convinced that being caught would have much affect on the eggs inside the fish - after all you only have to look at the way they thrash around when spawning or watch a salmon being stripped of its eggs by hand. I would have thought that the most dangerous time for the fish would be after spawning when they are exhausted, and if caught then i can see that it might not do them any good. Fish carry eggs for large parts of the year and it is only prior to spawning that they hydrate these eggs by taking on water.</blockquote>
Gary, the act of spawning is as you say exhausting in itself. Deliberate targeting of these fish prior to spawning is wrong in my opinion and cannot be considered sporting or do anything but harmto the spawning process. If we don't have a close season for the protection of breeding then surely we need to show restraint on a personal level.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Just a quick question, what about the fish that still have spawn come 16th June, and those in July? or do we have a 6 month close season?

 

[Mi Opin]

Pike are no different to any other coarse fish - if handled properly, they should come to no harm.

It is not a good idea to fish for any species of coarse fish during their spawning period; but how does one know if they are spawning, oron the lead up to spawning.

Either have a close season across the board, or do away with it altogether.

 

[Gary Newman]

Ray Roberts,
I would still argue that it is after spawning that they are at most risk, prior to it they will have fed well and should be in good condition, and from my experience they switch off as soon as they start spawning anyway, so you're unlikely to catch them during the act of spawning anyway.
As Ray Clarke has said we'd need to keep waters such for months to be on the safe side, and how long after finishing spawning do you give them to recover, for some species it can take them a couple of months to return to peak condition and put a bit of weight back on, tench and bream for example, so should we not fish for them whilst they are recovering?

 

[Ray Roberts]

Ray, these fish were specifically targeted when they were coming onto the shallows to spawn.

Mi Opin, close season or not if they are: spawning, about to spawn or spawned out you should use your own common sense and leave the bu*gers alone.

Gary, I am sure I wouldn't have had three kids if someone disturbed me every time I was on the job. /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[Richard M]

It is not easy to tempt any fish into feeding while they are spawning or immediately after.

 

[stuart clough]

There is a big difference between targetting spawing fish, and targetting aggregations of pre-spawning fish in the same areas where spawning will take place weeks or even months later. Moreover,if two pike are caughton the same day insay, February each of which will spawn in say April, but one is in deep waterseceral kilometersfrom the spawning grounds, and the other has already arrived, there is absolutely no difference in the effect of capture.All other things being equal there will be no difference in the state of maturity of the two fish. The reason that so few of the eggs laid make it through to maturity is simply the fish's reproductive strategy. The eggs will be eaten by a multitude of predators, thousands will be lost to fungal infection, many of the the newly hatched fry will starve and most of the rest will be eaten by a wide range of other fish and invertebrates, in particular their siblings. The young pike are also at risk from herons and larger pike for a further two or three years before they mature. The capture of pre-spawning pike which are aggregated at sites where they will later spawn will have no effect on the number of offspring surviving to maturity, providing they are handled with care, and returned in good condidtion - and this applies throughout the year, not just prior to spawning.

Now targetting very recently spent barbel on June 16th... that is another story.

 

[mark barrett 2]

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Ray Roberts wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

A couple of weeks ago I bought a copy of the Angler's Mail. One of the articles on pike fishingwritten byMark Barrett advocated fishing the shallower areas of waters at this time of year as he saidthe fish were moving into them in order to spawn, so not only were they there in numbers they would also be easier to catch.

I don't make a habit of writing to magazines but I sent an e mail to the letters page as I was incensed that the fishes welfare was not only being put at risk by the angler in question but he was also encouraging others to follow his example. This is thee mailI wrote to the Angler's Mail:

What on earth was Angler's Mail thinking of when it published the
article by Mark Barrett last week?

Advocating the catching pike that have moved onto their spawning
grounds is irresponsible to say the least, but coming from the General
Secretary of the PAC, it is unforgivable.

Surely the second paragraph of the article says it all: “A female pike
will lay thousands of eggs during spawning and it’s said that for
every million eggs laid only a dozen or so pike will grow to
maturity”.

If Mark truly believes this to be the case, then why is he pursuing
them and encouraging others to do the same when the fish are gravid
and at their most vulnerable? Does the welfare of the fish and their
successful breeding not take precedence over another trophy shot?

Well fellow anglers, what do you think?</blockquote>


Ray

with all due respect mate you have misconstrued my words. WhatI was attempting to say was that the pike would be moving towards the shallower water to spawn, but I di not advocate fishing for spawning pike, for all the reasons that you have mentioned and it would be nigh on impossible to catch fish when they were in the act of spawning, not that i would wish to.

Whether pike come to grief if they are caught pre-spawning is a matter of conjecture. As the fish would be pretty much in their peak condition having fed up hard to build up condition for the purpose of spawning I tend to think that they wouldnt come to harm if handled with care and respect.

 

[preston96]

lets get one thing straight....whosaid that catching fish with developing eggs in them is harmful???????????

I certainly don'tbelieve it isif a code ofconduct is adhered to..................i have caught many pike "in spawn".........and caught them happy the next season.

Stuarts post is soc on in my opinion.

Lets be self governing,apply sensible rules......but not self righteous and self destructive.

 

[mark barrett 2]

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Ray Roberts wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

Ray, these fish were specifically targeted when they were coming onto the shallows to spawn.

Mi Opin, close season or not if they are: spawning, about to spawn or spawned out you should use your own common sense and leave the bu*gers alone.

Gary, I am sure I wouldn't have had three kids if someone disturbed me every time I was on the job. /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif</blockquote>
And neither would you stop halfway through for a sandwich/forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

 

[Michael Townsend 3]

I might /forum/smilies/nerd_smiley.gif

 

[Cakey]

I have to

 

[Ray Roberts]

Mark, thank you for taking the troubleto reply to my original post. I still however believe that pre spawning fish should be left to get on with it and that catching them, not just carrying eggs but moving into their spawning areas can only have a detrimental effect on the success of their spawning activity.

 

[Cakey]

I can see Rays point

one sneaking around having a couple out could be acceptable

put it in the media and it could be hundreds could be not acceptable