Tope ban on the horizon

Sorry to post in general rather than Sea Fishing, but I think it's important that the wider sport responds to proposals to BAN tope fishing from a boat.
I know of no tope angler that doesn't return fish alive, and as they are sharks, they survive very well, as tagging has proven.
The rod fishing effort by comparison to netting is also very unlikely to have a long-term damaging effect, and the value of the sea angling tourism generated is very useful; can you think of any other reason to go to Bradwell?


FROM GOVERNMENT NEWS NETWORK

Shark protection proposals published



The Government has published proposals to stop new fisheries targeting tope, a species of large coastal shark.

Defra is proposing pre-emptive measures after receiving reports last year that a commercial fishing operation to catch the sharks was being considered.

The fishery never materialised, but the Department remains concerned that any future proposals for targeting tope would be unsustainable because of the shark's life-cycle.

The Department is now asking the public, industry, sea anglers, and conservationists whether they think it should implement precautionary protection measures.

Marine and Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "There isn't a targeted fishery for tope in our waters at the moment, but it's important that we decide now how we can ensure tope remain a sustainable resource.

"Tope can live for more than 50 years but they don't mature until around the age of 12. Even then, they produce a relatively low number of pups compared with other marine species, typically 20 every two or three years.

"This life-cycle makes them very vulnerable to fishing pressure."

Recreational sea anglers fishing from the shore will not be affected by the proposed measures.


The consultation is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tope/index.htm

"Defra is proposing pre-emptive measures after receiving reports last year that a commercial fishing operation to catch the sharks was being considered."

Good post Mark, would a person have to apply for a licence to fish for them commercially the way the law stands now do you know?

Yet again no one is asking the recreational angling fraternity on their views. The sooner we get a properly funded united body to represent all angling, the better. It really is long overdue and needs some heads knocking together.

Mark you are jumping the gun on an angling ban, what they are trying to do is stop the mass kill by the trawlers for pot bait. it is something that has been going on for a while and finally people are starting to listen.

taken from another site

"Today the Eastern Sea Fisheries Joint Committee voted to accept the Tope protection bylaw"

and it looks like the southern and sussex fisheries are looking at going the same way.

"Recreational sea anglers fishing from the shore will not be affected by the proposed measures."
So by derivation, boat anglers WILL. Hardly jumping the gun.

I'm a great believer in thin end of wedge; if we don't respond, it will be taken as a sign that we don't give a monkeys, and the ban will hit anglers, just as the bass nurseries are no-go areas (I'm not arguing against that, by the way) and the closure of parts of the cod fishery a decade ago left Sussex skippers stranded in port.

"...what they are trying to do is stop the mass kill by the trawlers for pot bait..." Good. So why, Alan, are they asking anglers' opinion?

You sit back and reassure yourself that everything will be OK for your tope fishing, and me and the others will get off our arses and make sure it is.

"You sit back and reassure yourself that everything will be OK for your tope fishing, and me and the others will get off our arses and make sure it is."

im not going to bother to answer that.


"So by derivation, boat anglers WILL"

my understanding of that is that all tope will have to be released, but that shouldnt effect tope fishing from the boat as every charter boat i know of (in the solent) insist on releasing them any way.

the fisheries board for the solent and the one that have inforced the ban already, have only had two complaints, from the conericals, the anglers on the boards had no concerns that it will interfere with boat angling.

"So why, Alan, are they asking anglers' opinion"

because of people like tha sea anglers conservation network, those of us that sent letters, emails etc to the fishery managment people, defra, and the govement. and have finaly got it set so anglers get a say in matters of stock managment. thanks to people like Leon who has campaigned for those rights for years.


"just as the bass nurseries are no-go areas"

fishing from the shore in most bass nurseries is allowed, as is fishing from a boat, the only thing you are not allowed to do is keep any bass caught from a boat. the same thing they are trying (and starting) to achieve for the tope.

the same thing they are trying (and starting) to achieve for the tope.

well if that's the case it's about bluddi time.

what's wrong with catch and release anyway.

Alan. Apologies for ranting. I do go off on one now and then, when suitably wound up.

But this is option three of the proposal, very distinct from option two, which allows the targeting but not the landing of (dead)tope:

"However, recreational sea anglers fishing from vessels (both private and charter vessels) could not legally target tope or land tope."

Option three expressly forbids anglers fishing FOR tope, while acknowledging that any caught accidentally would be returned "immediately" i.e. without weighing, for example.

So there IS an issue here, and a need to respond. The way the consultation Document is set out, it seems to be demanding option two as the sensible compromise (option one being doing nothing). However, if 200 commercial skippers reply saying they want option one, and 2 sea angling clubs say they want option two, no prizes for guessing which option will look the most popular.

No worries Mark im the same when it comes to sea fishing.

a quick look around on the web, and ive found 4 regional sea fisheries that have ban tope fishing on a commerical basis, and a few more looking at it.

now have i worked this out right?, defra can issue guide lines, but it is up to each region to inforce the laws, or create bylaws? the same way it is done with minimum landing sizes 1 recomended by defra, but with some areas having larger sizes that they enforce.

This is in response to some Lowestoft boats saying they were going to target Wash tope using long lines.

There was quite an outcry from recreational anglers and charter boats and the last I saw, it had been shelved.

The big danger is the tope fishery isn't regulated and some large fish are taken.

Remember this is a consultation document so it's important that anglers give their views.

Full details are at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tope/index.htm

With the bass mls consultation, only around 20 angling organisations amongst 500 other (mostly commercial fishing organisations) were on the list of those consulted, so it's good to see after our protests that many more angling organisations have been included this time (you don't have to be on the list to put in your own response, and all anglers and angling clubs etc should do so, especially charter boats and tackle shops etc who make a living out of the recreational fishery).

With regard to enforcement, In England and Wales, within 6 miles, Sea Fisheries Committees manage the inshore fisheries, creating their own byelaws and enforcing them along with enforcing DEFRA and EU regulations.

Also responsible for fisheries enforcement, out to 12 miles and on UK boats wherever they fish is the Marine Fisheries Agency.

You can find their local offices on their site at: http://www.mfa.gov.uk/

With regard to 'fishing for tope', the methods and baits used, and the areas fished are similar for a number of species such as spur dog etc, so it would be impossible to determine what an angler is targeting.

So banning all fishing for tope would have the same effect as 'all tope must be returned alive' which would be prefereable.

DEFRA probably do not appreciate this, hence the need for the consultation, so that we can tell them!

Some SFCs have byelaws in place, some are considering them, but their byelaws only apply in their district out to 6 miles (no foreign boats can come withing 6 miles).

If DEFRA put in regulations it will apply all around the coast of England and Wales, and out to 12 miles, but probably not to those foreign vessels that are allowed to fish within the 6 - 12 mile zone (because their grandfathers did, long before the CFP, in much smaller boats! Our boats are also allowed in some other countries' 6-12)

It can be expected that the commercials will make a big fuss about not being allowed to take tope in 'our' waters, whereas the French still will.

As ever Leon information at the click of the mouse
Thanks!
Come on guys I don?t sea fish, but let?s show some unity and support our fellow anglers from the recreation sea angling fraternity.