Bristol Channel Federation Of Sea Anglers

 

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT -   July   2008

 

1.  DEFRA announced a protected area within Lyme Bay from which scallop-dredging will be banned.   Other activities such as recreational sea angling, diving, scuba diving, fixed netting  and surface netting will still be allowed. As expected howls of protest are now forthcoming from  the commercial scallop fishermen but let’s hope that it falls on deaf ears and not as what happened when the increased minimum length for Bass was just about to be adopted.

 

2. `North Somerset Council Water Safety Advisory Council. -    recent activities of jet-skiers launching at Clevedon then passing under the local pier while angling is involved will now be monitored by Council wardens.

 

3.    Letter from The Bristol Port Company concerning the structure of the new Deep Sea Container Terminal was discussed. A comment from Bill Griffiths that it would now encroach over a regular boat cod mark – that’s progress.

 

4.  The meeting was informed of a meeting between three recreational sea anglers, one a member of the Severn Estuary Partnership, and representatives from English Nature and the South Glos.Council.   Concern had been expressed of anglers disturbing wildlife and avian roosting and nesting areas above Severn Beach. ( They had the power and authority to bar fishing from the banks of the Severn)  This area was classified as a ‘4’ which meant that action would be taken.

A lengthy debate followed in favour of permitted sea fishing and we were downgraded to a ‘3’ which means no current problems with our activities.

To all recreational sea anglers who fish around Aust and the Bridges, please keep to the recognised pathways and remove all litter. You will only have yourselves to blame if angling is barred by higher authorities.

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May Report

 

1.   Rod and line anglers fishing from boats will not be allowed to land their catches of TOPE…. (dead or alive) ashore, however they will be allowed to continue the practice of “catch and release”.

Note; commercial vessels may still have a 45kg. per day tope by-catch when targeting other species.

2.  The results of a petition to the Prime Minister’s offices in relation to the mls for bass is discussed on our website -   www.bcfsa.org. uk.  Comments on the response are needed.

3. A Research Workshop meeting of selected Recreational Sea Anglers was held in March to discuss forthcoming Marine Protected Areas.  However, at a BCFSA meeting of delegates, concern was expressed regarding the current representation which comprised 5 delegates from the NFSA, two from SACN, one from BASS and one from ‘Save our sharks’.  While the NFSA can only represent their members and we understand that this is but a small percentage of rsa in England  the bulk of anglers are not being considered.  Likewise with BASS which in effect is a ‘club’ leaving just the SACN to speak for our Federation ( we are affliliated).

Among the remaining nine persons I note that one was from the Sussex Sea Fisheries committee?   Is this a democratic selection or another ‘old pals act’?

4.   One member at the April Fed.meeting reported that commercial trawlers are currently highly active inshore along the length of the Chesil Beach.  Could they be after the mackerel/ sand  eels shoals?  It was also mentioned of other commercial activity outside Salcombe, seemingly after skate and ray.  Yet, in the latest issue of Fishing Focus, the newsletter produced by Defra and the Marine and Fisheries Agency .the latter have launched a new drive to build an accurate picture of stocks and rays around England.  Answers quick please, before they disappear as aresult of over-fishing and this is not by the recreational sea anglers.

5.  A meeting of the Association of Severn Estuary Revalant Authorities is being held in Clevedon on the 20 April.   I will be representing the recreational sea angling community and note that the Marine Bill is on the agenda.   A similar subject and the Barrage is being discussed at a meeting of the Avon Biodiversity Marine Group also being attended by self.

6.  At least 2 years ago an application was submitted to extract a further 15 million tonnes of mineral aggregate from the Bristol Channel, the Culver Sands being the selected area.   Many opposing voices were  challenging this request including some from Somerset local authorities etc.  Despite all this, the Minister of State has now granted the application. I have read the lengthy document but unable to find any mention of the 50+ species of fish just a small item over tubulleria worms and sedentary animals and plants ( i.e limpets and seaweeds).

Minimum Landing Size of Bass

 

Last year I, on behalf of our Federation, was asked to support the following petition which was being forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office:-

 

“We the undersigned petition the prime minister to increase the MLS for bass to 45 cm for recreational and commercial anglers.”

 

Details of the Petition

 

“This petition is aimed to get the government to raise for M LS for Bass to 45 cm.  This would allow every fish to spawn at least once and allow us to move to a more sustainable Bass stock.  We also urged the government to lobby the EU to introduce the MLS to all member states.”

 

NOW READ THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE!

 

The Government announced that the minimum landing size (MLS) for Bass would remain at 36 cm.  In reaching this decision, the Government considered all the available science and evidence and listened carefully to representations from sea anglers and commercial fishermen.

 

Bass is a particularly important stock for the inshore fishing fleet, which would have borne the brunt of the cost in increasing the MLS.  The Government cannot justify introducing a measure which would have such an impact on those fishermen given the current pressures they face and the healthy state of the stock at present.

 

However, a package of new measures has been announced that will provide benefits for stocks of Bass and more widely for anglers.  This includes plans for a review of Bass Nursery Areas (designated for the protection of juvenile bass) and inshore netting restrictions

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Comments

 

While I will leave each reader to make their own evaluation of this ‘Response’,  I now doubt if Gordon Brown has the slightest knowledge  of recreational sea angling, the numbers involved in the sport (close on 2 million);  the money that the government accrues from us via the Treasury (said to be £1 billion), or the mls. For a Scottish skipper.

 

The whole reply stinks of being DEFRA- orientated who believe that the commercials should be the only stakeholders in the Marine Environment.   Having now almost netted the once abundant cod harvest to extinction;  cleaned out the English Channel of Black Bream;  vacuumed copious quantities of mackerel  and leaving many other species close to the borderline,  they targeted bass, once a fish not even on their quota list,  and used paired-trawling which accounted mainly for small, immature bass.

 

No doubt each reader will be able to dissect each sentence; such is the hypocrisy of this response.  My closing thought is how will juvenile bass areas be formed when there ain’t no big bass to spawn first?

Environmental Report. - March 2008

A number of both commercial and recreational sea anglers have combined to form the Devon Maritime Forum and publish regular and informative newsletters on current topics. Meetings have already been held at Torquay and Barnstaple with the object of lobbying hard for the inclusion of marine and coastal issues within Devon authorities as well as sustainable communities.

Of particular interest within their latest news bulletin was the following :-

“Labour on course to lose “angling vote”.

Many believe that Labour is now on course to lose the angling vote, given UK fisheries minister Jonathan Shaw’s failure to protect the U.Ks important and valuable recreational bass fishery”.

( my comments - I wonder how many other anglers around the country feel the same?)

The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association has now hit out at government decisions that could affect recreational sea angling.

( Again, why have they left it so late? We wanted this support when the case for an increase in minimum landing size for bass was in its early stages!)

Some angling clubs have been receiving questionnaires from graduate students who want to use the forthcoming Marine Bill as the object of their thesis. I am a little concerned over so many using the same subject as recent questions are aimed at MPAs.

“What is this MPAs.,you may well ask?” as unless currently you are involved in the dirty world of angling politics between the government, commercial fisheries and the recreational sea anglers. Please let me know if you receive such questions.

Incidentally, a MPA stands for Marine Protected Area which will occupy space within the forthcoming Marine Bill.

With the Severn Barrage currently receiving national publicity,  Keith Reed and self were among a specially-invited audience for an ITV Panel discussion on this important subject held at Slimbridge Wildfowl Centre on the 25^th January.

I was also asked to submit a question for consideration and expecting much from others on the marine strategy submitted:-

 

“There are 53 angling-related species within the Bristol Channel of which 23 may be found upstream of the proposed Barrage.  Within these waters could be greater variants on salinity, temperature and commercial/ agricultural pollution.  Surely this will have an adverse effect on all life forms now exposed to such changes?”

 

We were ushered towards the back of the room where acoustics and viewing was extremely poor.  The programme commenced with the expected questions on the extensive bird life and habitats, but absolutely nothing on the marine environment.  It became a farce when no less than three members of the audience spoke on “surfing” the Bore. 

 

Both Keith and I considered the 90 miles of driving and the evening a waste of time but at least our Federation was present and will continue to be active on all future developments concerning the Barrage.

Following the decrease in cod stocks,  bass, black bream, porbeagle sharks and spur-dogfish, it seems that the commercials have now targeted  red mullet, a species most uncommon in our waters of the Channel but more common off Cornwall and Jersey.  Visiting my local Sainsburys on the 2 November their fish counter had on sale very small red mullet at approx,. £12 per kg.  Most of these fish were around 12 – 15 cm.in length and weighed less than 100 gm.  I complained to the stores manager of the fish supplier for even offering such young fry,  these cratures probably hatched around June of this year ( A red mullet reaches sexual maturity at two years of age and around 36 cm.in length)   I also queried what size mesh was being used to catch such small fishes.  He promised to contact the supplier ( I know this) and would in return phone me midweek with their comments.  To date, 12 November, nothing has been received so I have complained to DEFRA and used the subject in my weekly newspaper column.  No doubt DEFRA will state that there is no minimum landing size for red mullet as their political consciences are greater than the concern of the sustainable environment.

 

In earlier correspondence, DEFRA had confirmed that the minimum landing size for bass will revert back to the original 36 cm.   Round 1 to the commercials and some four years wasted effort by many anglers in their effort to reduce the high numbers of immature bass.  Thank you Ben Bradshaw when your promises came to nothing for the r.s.a.

 

The latest Marine Bill newsletter analyses some of the initial feedback. On the subject of licensing for recreational sea fishing it quotes -  “ Mixed views were expressed to the proposals for a chargeable licensing scheme for r.s.a.  Generally, non-governmental organisations supported the proposals ( we didn’t) whilst the majority of responses from individual sea anglers and angling clubs were in opposition”.

 

For interest:      West Bexington car park is closed until 7 December – to increase the number of spaces and better protection from the sea.

Due to a health problem I was unable to attend an all-day meeting of the Severn Estuary Partnership and the Association of the Severn Estuary Revalent Authorities, but understand that the proposed “Barrage” figured prominently on the agenda,   More info in my annual report.