Is cod in decline?
- Thread starter ne-fishing
- Start date
ne-fishing
Active member
I think I have started a Interesting topic here.
willywetegg
Administrator
We have had this topic quite a few times mate. It is something that most of us feel very strongly about.
Jim.
Jim.
Davyred
Well-known member
Totally agree TC. I haven\'t one ounce of sympathy for any trawlerman having to sell their boat. It boils my p*** when you see them moaning on about how restrictions will do this and that - if theyd thought about the consequences of what they were doing years ago, there\'d be no need for restrictions! 
The other thing which needs consideration is the fact that there isn\'t the food in the sea that there used to be. Sandeels are one of the main components of the food chain in the sea and these are getting mopped up at a vast rate. They are then processed and fed to most farmed fish and also to farm aninals especially pigs (ever wondered why the white scum in the bottom of your frying pan smells of fish when you cook Danish bacon).
Over the last few years the RSPB have noted that birds that have sandeels as a major source of food at their time of breeding have had difficulty in feeding the chicks once hatched. The freshwater angling clubs up and down the country have huge problems with Cormorants moving in land and eating fresh water fish because they find it easier than catching fish in the sea.
A possible solution is to force Trawlers to land their undersized dead fish (counting towards their quota) which could then be prossesed and put into the fish farms etc. The ammount of the sandeel catch could then be reduced.
The government knows that it is possible to run commercial fishing in a sustainable way (Iceland can and are doing it) but because they would have to upturn a whole industry which would look bad politicaly they choose not to do it. Instead the commercial boats will keep taking until there is nothing left to take.
Over the last few years the RSPB have noted that birds that have sandeels as a major source of food at their time of breeding have had difficulty in feeding the chicks once hatched. The freshwater angling clubs up and down the country have huge problems with Cormorants moving in land and eating fresh water fish because they find it easier than catching fish in the sea.
A possible solution is to force Trawlers to land their undersized dead fish (counting towards their quota) which could then be prossesed and put into the fish farms etc. The ammount of the sandeel catch could then be reduced.
The government knows that it is possible to run commercial fishing in a sustainable way (Iceland can and are doing it) but because they would have to upturn a whole industry which would look bad politicaly they choose not to do it. Instead the commercial boats will keep taking until there is nothing left to take.
ive got to say here if i ever caught that double it wouldnt be going back due to the fact that itl be a once in a lifetime event in fact i may never get it 
i agree with most of whats been said Gj brings up an interesting point of using the undersized fish instead of disgarding them ,why not ? well for one reason it would open the floodgates for undersized fish to be deliberatly targeted as a income resource if the trawlers thought they would get paid for it,personaly i think inspectors should go out with the boats and impose a dock fee on any undersized fish caught ie 10 tones caught 2 tones undersized deduct the 2 tone from the 10 when it comes to paytime and use it to fund restocking or something,a long look needs to be taken at how the fish are caught ie bigger netting sizes or out of bounds breeding areas,to say one shore angler putting back a mature fish is going to have any impact is nonsense as the same fish will most likely be netted at a later date,TC lol most of us cant manage the minimum size never mind imposing a max limit,the problem isnt with shore/boat anglers ,most of us blank more often than not,cod in decline ,yes becouse these undersized fish that are thrown away to rot form part of the food chain talk about endless cycle,am i waffling now ?normaly do when i type too long
i agree with most of whats been said Gj brings up an interesting point of using the undersized fish instead of disgarding them ,why not ? well for one reason it would open the floodgates for undersized fish to be deliberatly targeted as a income resource if the trawlers thought they would get paid for it,personaly i think inspectors should go out with the boats and impose a dock fee on any undersized fish caught ie 10 tones caught 2 tones undersized deduct the 2 tone from the 10 when it comes to paytime and use it to fund restocking or something,a long look needs to be taken at how the fish are caught ie bigger netting sizes or out of bounds breeding areas,to say one shore angler putting back a mature fish is going to have any impact is nonsense as the same fish will most likely be netted at a later date,TC lol most of us cant manage the minimum size never mind imposing a max limit,the problem isnt with shore/boat anglers ,most of us blank more often than not,cod in decline ,yes becouse these undersized fish that are thrown away to rot form part of the food chain talk about endless cycle,am i waffling now ?normaly do when i type too long
Red5
Well-known member
It\'s a mixture of many things but especially the commercial boats. The trawlers are tearing up the sea beds which in turn destroy whole ecosystems which not only cod feed on but all the other fish and organisms. See, unlike the rain forests where we can see the impact that logging has on our environment, the sea bed is covered by 100\'s of feet of water. Out of Sight out of mind.
The sandeel situation is caused mainly by Danish boats who use the fish for animal feed and fertiliser!Mad.
What can we do? Boycott fish products? Unless people do that en-masse it\'s unlikely to bother commercials. I personnaly think that anglers need to become more politicised and form a large pressure group to counter the sea fisheries industry. A start would be to ban all commercial fishing from european trawlers within 20 miles of our waters. UK boats like have been mentioned by GJ should be made to make use of ALL of their catch towards their quota instead of dumping what they can\'t or won\'t use overboard. Inshore netters should be restricted to coming no further than 5 miles inshore and banned from recognised breeding grounds for all fish.
Boat anglers should also be more responsible( I am as much at fault as anyone else in the past) and retain only the fish that they REALLY require for the pot(obviously that is not possible in all cases if the fish has come from depth).
Unforunately successive governments are happier seeing the smaller incomes coming from commercial boats than recreational angling. Ben Bradshaw just seems to walk around with that stupid false
smile on his face than solving the problem. :casstet:
The sandeel situation is caused mainly by Danish boats who use the fish for animal feed and fertiliser!Mad.
What can we do? Boycott fish products? Unless people do that en-masse it\'s unlikely to bother commercials. I personnaly think that anglers need to become more politicised and form a large pressure group to counter the sea fisheries industry. A start would be to ban all commercial fishing from european trawlers within 20 miles of our waters. UK boats like have been mentioned by GJ should be made to make use of ALL of their catch towards their quota instead of dumping what they can\'t or won\'t use overboard. Inshore netters should be restricted to coming no further than 5 miles inshore and banned from recognised breeding grounds for all fish.
Boat anglers should also be more responsible( I am as much at fault as anyone else in the past) and retain only the fish that they REALLY require for the pot(obviously that is not possible in all cases if the fish has come from depth).
Unforunately successive governments are happier seeing the smaller incomes coming from commercial boats than recreational angling. Ben Bradshaw just seems to walk around with that stupid false
smile on his face than solving the problem. :casstet:
