Bass conservation poll - support for closed season

[Andy Davies]

I noticed on a thread for Ireland that there is a closed season for bass from 15 May to 15 June to allow bass to spawn. I find that I frequently catch females during this time that are full of eggs and am really gutted that this fish didn't spawn.

I know that many spearos decry the fishing off Guernsey so I wondered who would be infavour of a closed season (during spawning) for bass in the UK? This would obviously have to apply to all fishermen.

 

[Doc]

sounds very sensible and we could certainly unilaterally take it up but as we are selective in what we hit it shold be easier for us to achieve.

 

[portinfer]

Fine by me - also likely to be when they breed and this coincides with very cold sea temps !

 

[Old Man Dave]

You get my vote. Wish that was all it took though. However it's a good idea to get as much publicity and pressure applied as possible. Good on yuh.

Dave .

 

[dave]

The problem is that it would only apply within UK territorial waters. There are plenty of restrictions on the horizon as it is (many anglers are pushing for a 2 bass per day recreational limit for instance) , and most of the worst examples of overfishing occur outside the 12 mile limit
Whilst a spawning season ban would have a feel good factor, I think it would actually do bugger all for bass numbers. It may actually have a negative effect, as the government could trumpet it as a conservation measure, and then avoid the more politically difficult problem of commercial overfishing
Although taking a bass full of roe can be upsetting, if you think about it, a dead bass is a dead bass. If it isnt full of roe when you catch it, it would be at another stage of its life cycle.
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

 

[podge]

Some good points Dave
As a relative new comer to the sport I feel I don’t have the weight of experience of most of you guys but I would have to agree to and respect a close season for Bass.
Anything that can be done to conserve the numbers of this fish must be worth a try.

 

[Huw]

There are equally good points for each side of this subject. I agree wholeheartedly that more steps need to be taken to protect this species from overfishing, but like Dave said, the last thing we want is a negative side effect from something of which we all had the best intentions. Once stricter fishing sanctions have been placed on the commercial trawlers etc, i think a spawning season ban would then have its place.

I would support this spawning season ban 100%, however i think that the REAL problem does not lie with us spearos and recreational fishermen.

The bottom line is that any steps that can be taken in order to put a halt to the rapid decline in bass numbers SHOULD be taken, unfortunatly i feel that forums like this, are the only place where a ban is likely to be discussed and that if we really do want some action to be taken, a huge effort is going to be needed.

Just my ten penneth

Huw

 

[Andy Davies]

Interesting responses so far - keep them coming.

I visit Brittany regularly and am astonished at how depleted their inshore fish are. You can spend hours in the water over good habitat and not see a fish of any description. I likened it to an underwater desert. They have virtually fished spider crabs out. You have to go to offshore reefs in a boat to have any real chance of catching bass. Just about everyone living on the coast has a small dinghy that they use for setting gill nets.

I just hope and pray that the same situation does not arise in the UK. However, I fear that it will unless we, the people who cherish what we have at the moment, are not proactive and responsible so that we can pass this on to the next generation.

Sticking our heads in the sand and hoping that we will not be the subject of future restrictions is not a viable option in my opinion. Spearfishing probably contributes extremely little to the decrease in bass populations at the moment. However, we need to do our bit as well.

 

[Spaniard]

I support a ban on taking bass during spawning season if it is upheld by commercial boys (no chance). In UK waters Bass spawn in very deep water and in winter so it is unlikely that spearos will be catching them anyway!!

 

[Old Man Dave]

Just want to make a couple of points. Spearo Dave is right when he says a dead bass is a dead bass whether or not it's breeding. The commercial boys have made that point repeatedly, however, the issue is the behavior of bass during their breeding cycle and the ease of their capture because of this.

While bass can often be found in shoals it is only during their breeding cycle that they form huge shoals in specific areas. This is when the pair trawlers can decimate them. But it's not just trawlers as we have seen here in Guernsey. Because the bass shoal in huge numbers at set sites even rod and line can be devastatingly efficient. Like over 100 tons of fish from our local bass breeding reef each year and all on rods.

The point of stopping fishing in the breeding season is to protect these shoals from the relatively easy exploitation. The rest of the year they are dispersed and it's much more difficult (though not impossible) to overfish them.

This is a complex issue and I amongst others have been involved though several different media forums for several years. Some people are listening. It's likely that the minimum size for bass will go from 36cm to 42cm everywhere in the EU. There is also quite a bit of support for a close season (not from our local bass slaughterers though).

I don't want to go too far down a long discussion route but I just thought I'd try to put the record straight on why a closed season is such a good idea (IMHO anyway).

Dave.

 

[loops]

Hi Dave the jerseyspearfishing club have set a length of 45 cm. This in sures no under size bass are caught.

 

[glowworm]

The following link is for the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society who have been lobbying the goverment and the EU about more conservation.They have managed to get the goverment to accept that recreational bass fishing will generate more money than commercial fishing.

www.ukbass.com

Surely all spawning fish should be off limits ????
From memory spawning fish tend to be a bit spent and don't taste so good anyway.

I do personally run a bag limit on bass but that's only because i can't catch themrofl rofl

 

[dave]

I am all in favour of conservation measures for bass, but am just very wary about inviting increased restriction on recreational fishing
Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society do think they have the ear of the fisheries minister, but the draft Marine Bill has no fisheries content, so all they have is a few vague assurances of support. I will be very surprised if the minimum bass size goes up europe wide, I have seen nothing in upcoming legislation, and I cant see the French or Spanish accepting it. Bass aren't even a quota species at the moment
What I can see happening is the B.A.S.S. suggestion of a 2 fish per day recreational limit being introduced in the UK, then the suggestions about restricting commercial catch being ignored. The Government can then claim to have taken conservation measures, without upsetting the fishing industry.
All recreational bass fishermen need to work together, but unfortunately many bass anglers regard spearfishermen as an enemy. I get regular emails to my website from anglers complaining about the dead bass (and even mullet!) in the gallery section, asking that spearos refrain from catching bass as they are endangered.I always send a very polite reply, but I think these people somehow believe that catch and release angling results in no fish deaths, and have no idea of the relative abundance of bass
To be effective, a closed season would need to be in January- February when the bass aggregate, rather than May-June

cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

 

[Andy Davies]

It is very disappointing that we have virtually non-existent management of commercial fisheries and agree that restrictions on recreational fishing will not prevent bass numbers from crashing. I have read some interesting but very worrying news on the BASS website on this.

I do feel it is important that the spearfishing community are pro wise fishery management, even if this does impose restrictions. Just the fact that fishery managers know that they are dealing with a sympathetic and responsive group will help our cause in the future. At least we can support measures to control commercial fishing and also be willing to agree to some future controls that make sense.

 

[podge]

O.K. then gents this is all well and good but what can we as individual spearo’s actually do to help conserve the bass numbers for our future sport?
Do we write letters to our MP?
Is there a lobby group that we can give support to?
Old man Dave you seem to be up on the problem as does dave so how about giving us some info on a positive measure that we can all take.

 

[Spaniard]

O.K. then gents this is all well and good but what can we as individual spearo’s actually do to help conserve the bass numbers for our future sport?
Do we write letters to our MP?
Is there a lobby group that we can give support to?
Old man Dave you seem to be up on the problem as does dave so how about giving us some info on a positive measure that we can all take.

Personally I think the best thing we can do as spearos is present the best image to the public as we can; don't walk about public beaches with undersize bass i.e. don't shoot them; don't walk around public beaches with a tonne of fish hanging off your belt, doesn't do the selective fishing argument any good. Be prepared to engage members of the public with conversation that higlights the positive elements of spearfishing. Most people in UK still have no idea what spearfishing is so if their only-ever encounter of it is YOU, make sure the experience is a positively-viewed one. This is why I no longer take part in competitive spearfishing; much more difficult to justify to an ever-more conservation minded society.

 

[Andy Davies]

As Dave said, it would appear that a closed season for recreational fishermen during May and June would be of very little value. The overwhelming threat to bass stocks is from the commercial fishermen. Until this becomes a serious vote winning issue, politicians are not going to do anything about it.

The sad conclusion is our children will not be able to enjoy the fishing we do at the moment.

At least the bass I'm catching at the moment are not full of eggs.

 

[Huan]

In Ireland one of the key components is the fact that Bass is not a commercial species and is not allowed to be fished for commercially, It can also not be sold in a commercial premises, I know that farmed bass is sold here but they are always under a certain size and there are people that check to see whether the bass in restauraunts is actually wild or farmed.
Bass is the only salt water fish that actually has a bag limit in Ireland and is quite unusual in that respect.
Many commercial fisherman could catch bass but they know that the penalties for selling bass are likely to be punitive and therefore avoid atching them.
I would say that a direct copy of the law in Ireland would be the best possible way towards solving the problem in the UK, as do far it seems to have been unusually effective especially combined with adequate enforcement.

 

[Andy Davies]

I think the problem is as follows (quote from www.ukbass.com)

"The offshore bass fishery has witnessed a big increase in fishing effort this winter and over the previous five years, particularly by Dutch and French vessels. The French vessels have been displaced from the closure of the anchovy fishery in late Autumn 2005 and 80% of them have switched into the bass fishery."

It would have to be an EU fishery measure which is about as likely as pigs flying.

 

[Andy Davies]

Huan, does the restriction on commercial inshore fishing for bass effectively mean that they cannot set inshore gill nets? Bass would definitely be a dead byctach if they did.