davem2005
Well-known member
I have just got back from this meeting and there was nothing particularly affecting our sport to report.
But under the "any other matters" section a commercial driftnetter brought up the subject of incorrectly marked fixed engines (pots to you and me".
His comments were that incorrectly marked pots are a nuisance to him as they are to us when drift fishing. He also commented that some nameless fishermen are knowingly putting out pots without the correct flags or markers and asked that the patrol vessel should clamp down on these. The committee agreed that this should be done and the fishery officer promised a purge on this over the next few months which are traditionally a quiet time for them.
So ...what does this mean for us.
I took the opportunity to talk to the fishery officer regarding how this affected hobby anglers as opposed to licensed commercials. His reply was that although they dont expect hobby anglers to have full EU spec marking ,BOTH ends of any pots must be clearly marked with the owners contact details. Name or boat name and a contact number.
He also said if people let them know the location of incorrectly marked pots they will where possible confiscate the offending gear. So make sure you details are on any pots you put down or you could loose it.
Also feel free to make a note of the location any pots you feel may be breaking the rules and email it to [email protected] .
Another thing I just noticed is there are no contact details for the fisheries officers on their website...maybe they want to remain anonimous which is odd for government appointed officials IMHO. ( I feel another email of complaint coming on)
Cheers
Dave.
But under the "any other matters" section a commercial driftnetter brought up the subject of incorrectly marked fixed engines (pots to you and me".
His comments were that incorrectly marked pots are a nuisance to him as they are to us when drift fishing. He also commented that some nameless fishermen are knowingly putting out pots without the correct flags or markers and asked that the patrol vessel should clamp down on these. The committee agreed that this should be done and the fishery officer promised a purge on this over the next few months which are traditionally a quiet time for them.
So ...what does this mean for us.
I took the opportunity to talk to the fishery officer regarding how this affected hobby anglers as opposed to licensed commercials. His reply was that although they dont expect hobby anglers to have full EU spec marking ,BOTH ends of any pots must be clearly marked with the owners contact details. Name or boat name and a contact number.
He also said if people let them know the location of incorrectly marked pots they will where possible confiscate the offending gear. So make sure you details are on any pots you put down or you could loose it.
Also feel free to make a note of the location any pots you feel may be breaking the rules and email it to [email protected] .
Another thing I just noticed is there are no contact details for the fisheries officers on their website...maybe they want to remain anonimous which is odd for government appointed officials IMHO. ( I feel another email of complaint coming on)
Cheers
Dave.
