New law for compulsary return of coarse fish (including Grayling,Shad& Eel)

sedgeking · #1 (**permalink**) 25-06-2009, 09:33 PM

Hi guys

Second post on new law proposal....again already in a 12 week consultation period and will be statute by April 2010
Please note (Applies to post 1 as well) personal responses to the consultation will be accepted.......but have the debate here first without flying in at the deep end

Quote:

Amendments to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (SAFFA) and our byelawmaking
powers, via the Marine Bill, will enable us to introduce national byelaws to :

• introduce national fish removal (rod and line) byelaws;

Please note that the following is an overview and it is expected that these new laws will effect rivers only.....ie it is generally accepted that stillwater fishery managers will still control their own fish stock (except Eel).....more on this and the changes in existing law as we go along

Quote:

Within the angling community there is a wide range of opinion about whether anglers should
be allowed to take coarse fish that they catch. The law regarding fish removal is complex
and our powers under the existing law in respect of taking coarse fish and eels is limited.
The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will improve our fisheries byelaw powers and enable us
to bring in byelaws to control the removal of coarse fish. In doing this we need to strike a
balance between the need to protect fish stocks and the rights of fisheries owners and
managers to decide how their fisheries should be managed. We need the views of the
angling community to help us strike the right balance.
Eel stocks have declined sharply in recent years and we are taking action to reverse this
through tighter regulation of commercial eel fisheries and by improving habitat for eels, and
their access to it. Alongside these changes we also need to consider controls on eel angling
and suggest that compulsory catch and release is introduced for eels.
The Marine and Coastal Access Bill also extends our byelaw powers to species that we do
not currently have any responsibility for. This includes the two species of migratory Shad,
which are protected under conservation law. It is already illegal to fish for the rarest species,
Allis Shad and it is likely that this will soon apply to Twaite Shad. In view of this we suggest
that we use our new powers to require the return of any shad caught by rod and line. This
will make it clear that any shad that are accidentally caught by anglers, must be returned
alive

Quote:

Why are byelaws needed?
There has been mounting concern in the angling world that the removal of coarse fish by rod
and line is damaging fisheries. We know that some coarse fish are taken to eat and there is
evidence that specimen fish are taken for illegal stocking in other waters.

Again I will leave this as an initial post to invoke response as to the 'issues'.....but don't get hung up on the gaps as it will become apparent and is not meant to 'frighten' anyone

aenoon · #2 (**permalink**) 27-06-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedgeking

Eel stocks have declined sharply in recent years and we are taking action to reverse this
through tighter regulation of commercial eel fisheries and by improving habitat for eels, and
their access to it. Alongside these changes we also need to consider controls on eel angling
and suggest that compulsory catch and release is introduced for eels.

There is no doubt that COMMERCIAL fishing for eels has decimated stocks, even up here in Bonnie Scotland. In the eighties and nineties fyke netting (legal and illegal) of all our lochs and reservoirs was carried out en masse, with tanker loads of mature eels being shipped to Europe en masse. This coupled with traditional British methods( both in the catching of mature eels and the returning elvers) has certainly reduced populations
Cannot see how rod and line fishing for eels for the pot has any effect on overall population at all, given that relatively few people would specifically use rod and line for catching eels for the pot anyway!!

sedgeking · #3 (**permalink**) 27-06-2009, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aenoon

There is no doubt that COMMERCIAL fishing for eels has decimated stocks, even up here in Bonnie Scotland. In the eighties and nineties fyke netting (legal and illegal) of all our lochs and reservoirs was carried out en masse, with tanker loads of mature eels being shipped to Europe en masse. This coupled with traditional British methods( both in the catching of mature eels and the returning elvers) has certainly reduced populations
Cannot see how rod and line fishing for eels for the pot has any effect on overall population at all, given that relatively few people would specifically use rod and line for catching eels for the pot anyway!!

Hi aenoon

Consider that the law will apply to our coastline and up to six miles out as well as freshwater and estuary....covering all life stages of Eel.

The new law then will encompass the millions of sea anglers too.

At the risk of repeating myself, as you did on the 'other' thread.....it used to be the case with both sea and course match fishing that Eel was a nuisance bye-catch and were slaughtered wholesale.
I would agree that this is perhaps not the majority 'view' of Eel nowadays but it certainly DID have an impact on Eel populous in both 'brown' and 'silver' stages of life.

The new law is designed to consolidate protection for a failing UK and European fishery... and BAP species.

aenoon · #4 (**permalink**) 27-06-2009, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedgeking

At the risk of repeating myself, as you did on the 'other' thread.....it used to be the case with both sea and course match fishing that Eel was a nuisance bye-catch and were slaughtered wholesale.

Copied comments deliberately to both threads!
Anyways glass eel catches by rod and line are, and allways have been non existent, as this is the elver returning stage, and from this point on the eel is commercially under pressure, silver and brown eels at semi adult and adult stage are generally the ones caught on rod and line, and i agree, have been despatched willy nilly over the years, however one tanker load of eels exported would probably be more than the total annual catch by rod and line!!!
thus my conclusion that mandatory catch and release wont help poor aquillas situation.

BRUCE1 · #5 (**permalink**) 27-06-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aenoon

Copied comments deliberately to both threads!
Anyways glass eel catches by rod and line are, and allways have been non existent, as this is the elver returning stage, and from this point on the eel is commercially under pressure, silver and brown eels at semi adult and adult stage are generally the ones caught on rod and line, and i agree, have been despatched willy nilly over the years, however one tanker load of eels exported would probably be more than the total annual catch by rod and line!!!
thus my conclusion that mandatory catch and release wont help poor aquillas situation.

???anguilla

aenoon · #6 (**permalink**) 27-06-2009, 07:33 PM

quote=barbusbruce;450626]???anguilla
__________________[/quote]
perfectly correct
anquilla anquilla.
i sometimes cant type never mind spell.

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