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The Big Fish Fight


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I fish commercially for a living and it would be good if this national disgrace did recieve more attention. Any system that forces the discarding of dead fish will never work and is totally unsuitable

The problem is not mesh size, which have increased, or days at sea, it is the discarding of dead fish. Mesh configuration is more important than size, towing harder can constrict larger meshes ,square

Any one who thinks theres loads of cod has never boat fished in the 80's then there was loads of cod. Those skippers who said it was the most cod they had seen for thirty years are talking bull. Any east coast charter skipper will tell you theres nothing like the cod of the 70's and 80's.

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Any one who thinks theres loads of cod has never boat fished in the 80's then there was loads of cod. Those skippers who said it was the most cod they had seen for thirty years are talking bull. Any east coast charter skipper will tell you theres nothing like the cod of the 70's and 80's.

 

 

Funny how that coincides with Maggie opening up our fishing grounds to the rest of Europe... :yes:

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if discarding were stopped,it would likely be replaced with a days at sea system. If the big whitefish boats were given 180 days and allowed to land what they caught this has to be an improvement on constant fishing and throwing the bulk of the catch back.

There would have to be a total ban on any discarding for this to work and to stop high grading as happens in the pelagic fisheries, ie.whole catches of previously caught fish being dumped to be replaced with a larger selection.

Modern boats and methods are more efficient but that is the way of the world.

I run charter trips in the summer ,east coast, and there are certainlynot the fish of years ago but whether overfishing is to blame is questionable.We had a good mixed cod/haddock fishery here and a large trawler fleet at nearby eymouth, the trawler fleet is nearly extinct,has been for years but we never see a haddock at all now,despite a relatively strong haddock fishery further north despite heavy fishing.

The ever expanding seal population has to have dire effects,our old summer red cod fishery never materialises, they are eaten before they can change colour.

As to fish prices, sole are worth considerably more than cod, period.

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No prices won't drop as consumer demand is for cod, if a boat still has cod to catch and first trawl gets a load of coalfish it will box these up. If it than starts catching cod the skipper will dump the coalfish to make room for the cod. Yes sole is worth more per kg but to a skipper its easier to cover costs / make money fishing for cod. You need a lot of sole to fill a fish box.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/13/fish-fight-fearnley-whittingstall-britain

Edited by Plong
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No prices won't drop as consumer demand is for cod, if a boat still has cod to catch and first trawl gets a load of coalfish it will box these up. If it than starts catching cod the skipper will dump the coalfish to make room for the cod. Yes sole is worth more per kg but to a skipper its easier to cover costs / make money fishing for cod. You need a lot of sole to fill a fish box.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/13/fish-fight-fearnley-whittingstall-britain

Well you cant have your cake and eat it then......if the rules are changed and you get caught throwing fish away you should be fined!

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Land a lot of anything and the price will drop regardless of consumer demand. When our lobster season is in full swing we get 3.50 each for lobsters, the summer season ensures a good demand abroad for them but we don't benefit ,nor does the consumer.

As for dumping coley to make room for cod,this is unlikely as it is availible quota not physical space that is an issue,coley are more likely to be dumped as they are a low demand,low price species and if quota has to be leased they become unviable.

As regards fining offenders, licence suspension would be a much more effective deterrent, they would'nt be so keen then.

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Thats what it needs an increase in mesh size and a cut in days at sea. Shamus cod always fetches good prices, what else can they fish for thats going to fetch the same price as a haul of cod. Coalfish gets dumped all the time, 20 years ago coalfish was always dumped it's only due to the shortage of cod that theres now a market for it. If you have a boat that can carry lets say 150 boxes of fish back why are you going to take low value fish back coley fetches half the price of cod at best so that means twice the work. Lab-tastic your right but how do you catch a boat dumping out at sea? The skippers will always target what ever fetches the best price even when that species is spawning that's what winds me up about it. Bass shoal up to spawn so the trawlers start targgeting that area.

Edited by Plong
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The problem is not mesh size, which have increased, or days at sea, it is the discarding of dead fish. Mesh configuration is more important than size, towing harder can constrict larger meshes ,square mesh panels are more effective and many boats use them.

The villains in this piece are not the fisherman but the EU and our government,what are these men supposed to do? Put yourself in their shoes, huge bank debt, crews with families to pay and a fisheries deprtment hell bent on bankrupting them with unworkable rules.

Fishermen themselves must be included in the decision making process, it is the only way it will work.

I understand anglers despair but it is in everyones interest for this farce to cease.

Norway has healthy stocks because they are not in the EU, that says it all really.

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