whats nacking the fishing on our coast???

[mooseboy65]

ok,we all know about gill nets definately hitting our shore sport hard,but are our clubs damaging it further for the future,does anyone else agree that weighing in for example 5 codling for 4lb isnt doin tomorrows fishing any favours,we all know legal size for codling but i think our clubs should up the weigh in limit to atleast 1lb 3 or maybes 4oz,this is saving he smaller fish for the future,lets face it,your not going to get much of a feed off a 1lb codling,nothing against club anglers,but club and comp organisers should do something about it.

 

[mooseboy65]

just a thought lads,to keep this sport healthy for our kids to enjoy,dont mean to upset anybody,just thought id put it out there and see what you all think,cheers and tight lines

 

[kensr27sz]

i think a lot of the lads and lasses would like to catch a size cod, not many about at the moment.

 

[scaley]

interesting topic,think a lot of club matches now are measure and release,still quite a few clubs who are not though.......agree with what you are saying though,most of my catches will go back,but i have been guilty of keeping a few just sized codling myself for the pot.As long as the legal size limit stays the same dont think there will be many changes.

 

[Codcodcod!]

I would think 5 size codlings would weigh near enough 5 pounds not 4!

A 1lb 3oz codling could be just 35/36cm depending on the time of year (its belly) which is the size limit.

 

[g-force]

The percentage of the fish population that makes it to within a hundred yards or so of the shore where they just might get caught is minuscule & will have next to no effect. What I think has had the most effect is efforts to "clean up" the water around our coastline.

Not so long ago when the pipes were running around Whitley, Tynemouth, Seaton Sluice etc. there were entire eco systems around them: small stuff feeding on waste & bacteria attracting larger fish etc etc. I've spoken to people who've dived these areas over the years and they say there's only a fraction of the species around these days. It also seems to have affected the shellfish - where have all the willicks gone?

I still believe those that have done the most damage are the likes of cap'n Birdseye driving around in their factory ships taking large quantities of just about everything using highly destructive trawling methods. The cod fishing around the Clyde was wiped out by the destructive dredging for scallops which completely wrecked the sheltered environments around the sea lochs.

Just my thoughts...........

Gary

 

[Bushwhacker]

The percentage of the fish population that makes it to within a hundred yards or so of the shore where they just might get caught is minuscule & will have next to no effect. What I think has had the most effect is efforts to "clean up" the water around our coastline.

Not so long ago when the pipes were running around Whitley, Tynemouth, Seaton Sluice etc. there were entire eco systems around them: small stuff feeding on waste & bacteria attracting larger fish etc etc. I've spoken to people who've dived these areas over the years and they say there's only a fraction of the species around these days. It also seems to have affected the shellfish - where have all the willicks gone?

I still believe those that have done the most damage are the likes of cap'n Birdseye driving around in their factory ships taking large quantities of just about everything using highly destructive trawling methods. The cod fishing around the Clyde was wiped out by the destructive dredging for scallops which completely wrecked the sheltered environments around the sea lochs.

Just my thoughts...........

Gary

Its the "Cleaning up" thats spoiled most of the fishing marks on our coast.
Anywhere there was a sewage outlet was always a good spot,if you could put up with a few cotton mice.
Also when the pits closed and the colliery beaches started to clean up,the fishing died a death between Seaham and Hartlepool.

 

[codcatcher3000]

similar to what bushwhacker said...i heard the 'theory of perpetual feed' when the collierys were still running...the water was so dark ...and that it was always the best time to fish as fish were feeding thru the day not knowing the diff between darkness and light...was told it died off when the beaches started cleaning up and that daylight penetrated to the bottom hence switching the mode of perpetual feed...

 

[mooseboy65]

there is no problem keeping size codling for the pot,im guilty myself,i think the weigh and release is a excellent solution,might take a bit monitoring though,a bit to much for clubs to do,its the fact that some clubs are targeting areas where they know the small fish are,(heaviest bag).ive also heard stories of the beach clean-ups affecting the fishing,but we could do our bit aswell,take what your gonna eat,and hopefully introduce something like the way and release into our clubs,thanx for response lads,just thought id see what you all think

 

[adam.d]

The amount of fish caught on rod and line by club and pleasure anglers is next to nothing in the big fishing picture. Super trawlers that are catching millions of tonnes of ANY fish every year are to blame for the dwindling fish stocks.

 

[anthony stobbart]

Spot on g force and also the report about fishing between hartlepool and seaham has took a dive for the worst. Winter gone I did ok for and whitting but had to put the hours but a couple seasons ago I couldn't fail but hey that's fishing for you

 

[anthony stobbart]

I missed out cod and whitting on my thread oops

 

[mooseboy65]

yeah lads,the season before last,i got my pb and had some crackin sessions on south shields coast and a few at amble,i dont know what changed in a year other than the gill nets,but i didnt get a size codling all last season,put plenty of hours in,had plenty whiting,but i know a lad that does nets and he told me where he had them from and nothing was getting caught when they had them in,they were getting 30 boxes of fish,when you consider you can fit 25 4lb plus fish in a box,then you realise the affect it is having,thats in a single ebb of the tide

 

[mooseboy65]

i heard it was to cold,that the codling were feeding on a sand eel off shore,its rubbish,the nets are killing our fishing,especially off shields,maybes north is a bit better due to the rocky ground and unable to net as much,thats how we know its nets,because lads i know travelled north and hit fish everytime and the only difference between the shots we were fishing is nets

 

[codseeker]

well the clue is in my username i enjoy hunting for cod in winter months havent done to bad the last few seasons a pb cod thrown in for good measure ,this season im fishing for pleasure and hopefully weighing in a few at the club matches in the coming months ahead i usually throw back 1lb n halfers just keep 2lb+ but competition is looming and will keep legal size but the fish always go to good use either nieghbours or friends or even any the lads at the club (if i catch out ) so i wish everyone success this season happy hunting fella,s

 

[Bushwhacker]

i heard it was to cold,that the codling were feeding on a sand eel off shore,its rubbish,the nets are killing our fishing,especially off shields,maybes north is a bit better due to the rocky ground and unable to net as much,thats how we know its nets,because lads i know travelled north and hit fish everytime and the only difference between the shots we were fishing is nets

Everyone keeps blaming gill nets when trawling does a hundred times more damage.
The north sea is now the most overfished area in the world,all due to trawling.
It was the sandeels last year that killed the fishing.
When theres easy food on mass do you think the fish are going to leave it.
In the 60,s 70,s and early 80,s we used to get massive shoals of sprat in january through febuary and the fishing died a death.Trawlers from up and down the coast used to plunder them just off the colliery beaches and land them at north shields.
Also the codling come in 5 to 6 year cycles,one year there will be loads of small fish then the next year they will be bigger but less of them and so on till you get a crap year with just the odd big fish.

 

[Charlton]

confucious say, just take the big ones and you take the breeding fish, far better keep a few little ones and return the big fish

 

[seanyrooroo]

confucious say, just take the big ones and you take the breeding fish, far better keep a few little ones and return the big fish

Exactly as they do in Norway, Alan. Bigger ones save you catching smaller ones but they seem to enjoy hiding, or in my case this summer - coming off on the lift!!

 

[bigroppa]

There should be a MAXIMUM LANDING SIZE as well as a MINIMUM LANDING SIZE!
Works well in the USA...

How many people do u think would release a p.b fish? (no camera = just a fishermans tale). I agree the minimum size should be raised, 40cm is probably a better size. As for keeping fish, us anglers dont even make a dint in fish populations. Industrial trawlers which take millions of tonnes of all fish and turn them into animal feed and fertiliser do the most damage, followed closley by whitefish beam trawlers that dump more than half there catch back dead. Gill nets do make an impact but nowhere near as bad as the above 2. We just seem to blame them more coz we can see them. (There is nothing worse than fishing a beach, when u can see a net 300yds offshore.) Our seas need much better management but it is run by easly bought politicians who have never even seen a trawler, let alone been on one. I have been sea fishing 20 years now and personally have noticed a large decline in catches, year after year. The future is not looking good for my kids, not even our freshwater fishing is safe. Many of our lochs, lakes and even ponds are being longlined by our eastern european friends on a very regular basis but thats another debate:yltype::yltype:

 

[Cod Commando]

The prawns jimmy get the prawns ....trawlermen!!!!

The prawns jimmy get the prawns ....trawlermen!!!!

I agree with adam and a few of the other posts.A decent angler will always put the best interests of the fish he has caught.One of the lads rocked up at a weigh in with 4 flounders all returned .In addition and a few flounders from the others were also thrown in the bucket to be put back. Its hard enough as it is when a club angler pays good money for bait (or hard work digging/tyres etc to catch 1LB fish to take back to the weigh in. Nothing should go to waste.Measure and release match's are good ,however we all know that some clubs are totally relient on pearsonal integrity when it comes down to it.In short, shore anglers catch rate is 2% success in comparison when going head to head with trawlers 98% catch rate.Hence.In my opinion every fish in size for the pot, and not in size lives to fight another day.