Closed season
- Thread starter iannate
- Start date
chav professor
Well-known member
Sea fish migrate to spawn..... there must be triggers or preferred conditions - they have to come together at the same time in the same place.
As a now occasional sea angler (used to sea fish to the point of obsession) - I could see no rhyme nor reason to a close season for sea fishing on a recreational basis. Different times of the year bring sea fish in-shore (would be looking to the spring run of cod followed by Bass). Pleasure anglers actually create little pressure on fish stocks.
Far better would be for an inshore exclusion zone to reduce commercial pressure in sensitive areas.
Sea anglers do have size limits regarding the size of fish that can be taken for the table. Sport fishing for Bass ? There is an increase in catch and release being adopted.
As a now occasional sea angler (used to sea fish to the point of obsession) - I could see no rhyme nor reason to a close season for sea fishing on a recreational basis. Different times of the year bring sea fish in-shore (would be looking to the spring run of cod followed by Bass). Pleasure anglers actually create little pressure on fish stocks.
Far better would be for an inshore exclusion zone to reduce commercial pressure in sensitive areas.
Sea anglers do have size limits regarding the size of fish that can be taken for the table. Sport fishing for Bass ? There is an increase in catch and release being adopted.
The new conservation areas are a form of control and as long as everyone respects them it should be beneficial to everyone
iannate
The fish made me do it!
So what the sea fishing fraternity do is let the fish get on with it and leave them alone; however; money is money and the commercial fisherman need to get something to put on the table.
So are there lessons to be learned by inland anglers?
So are there lessons to be learned by inland anglers?
One of the reasons that the north sea and what is called the Dogger bank became the most prolific fishery in the world was because of the suspension of fishing during the two world wars it lost its reputation by the seventies though over fishing with the new technology.
Sea Fishing in the UK started to seriously deteriorate in 1973 when our waters were given up to Europe and the voracious foreign trawlers.
Today commercial fishermen net to within 50 yards of the beach, they trawl to within 200 yards and are relentless - their livelihoods depend on them catching fish to put food on the table, pay the mortgage etc. but the impact on recreational fishing is massive.
The point about the War years above is correct, if we could stop commercial trawling for 5 years and then re-introduce it in a more managed way with no discard madness etc we would see change but it will never happen.
As far as stopping recreational anglers fishing by having a 'closed season' I doubt if every fish caught in a day by every single angler in the Country whether fishing from shore, pier, private or charter boat would equal a single haul by one of the larger trawlers.
Just a thought.
Tim R
Today commercial fishermen net to within 50 yards of the beach, they trawl to within 200 yards and are relentless - their livelihoods depend on them catching fish to put food on the table, pay the mortgage etc. but the impact on recreational fishing is massive.
The point about the War years above is correct, if we could stop commercial trawling for 5 years and then re-introduce it in a more managed way with no discard madness etc we would see change but it will never happen.
As far as stopping recreational anglers fishing by having a 'closed season' I doubt if every fish caught in a day by every single angler in the Country whether fishing from shore, pier, private or charter boat would equal a single haul by one of the larger trawlers.
Just a thought.
Tim R
iannate
The fish made me do it!
There is some really good information on this thread, thanks guys
It's ironic that we (as a species) have become so efficient in taking fish out, that we haven't bothered to make sure there are enough left to be as efficient next year; if a farmer does not make sure his fields are capable of producing a crop next year, he goes hungry.
It's ironic that we (as a species) have become so efficient in taking fish out, that we haven't bothered to make sure there are enough left to be as efficient next year; if a farmer does not make sure his fields are capable of producing a crop next year, he goes hungry.