Following on from a thread I started last year;
http://forums.deeperblue.com/cornwall/76891-proposed-scallop-ban-falmouth-bay.html
Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee have a byelaw out for consultation that
will ban all take of scallops in Falmouth Bay.
Cornwall County Council - Consultations
In Winter 2006 there was a sudden increase in scallop dredging in the
Falmouth Bay SAC. 8 boats were towing up and down for several weeks, causing a public outcry due to the damage they were doing to a delicate marine habitat
Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee refused to do anything about this (apart
from a pointless "voluntary agreement" with the dredgers that they would
only dredge in November and December in the areas it was possible to dredge
in) despite it being clearly identified as their responsibility.
The Marine Conservation Society threatened to take the matter to the
European courts as it was clearly a breach of the Habitats Directive
legislation, and in February 2008 DEFRA finally went over the top of the Sea
Fisheries Committee and brought in a complete ban on scallop dredging in the
SAC, as required under European law. The seabed was now protected!
Obviously put out by this, the Sea Fisheries Committee then decided to chuck
their toys out of the pram and ban divers from taking scallops, as
"compensation" for the scallop dredgers.Once the closure had been decided,
some spurious science was dreamt up to attempt to justify it
The officers of the committee have consistently refused to regard diver
fishermen as legitimate stakeholders, or consider the economic benefits of
divers visiting the area
The area proposed represents over half of the area in Cornwall where
scallops are available to divers,and the only area where they are available
to shore divers.
This issue may not affect you directly, but if approved this byelaw will
make a dangerous precedent that diver fishermen are second class citizens in
the eyes of fisheries managers.
If you think this issue is important, please respond to the consultation,
and make your voice heard
cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment
http://forums.deeperblue.com/cornwall/76891-proposed-scallop-ban-falmouth-bay.html
Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee have a byelaw out for consultation that
will ban all take of scallops in Falmouth Bay.
Cornwall County Council - Consultations
In Winter 2006 there was a sudden increase in scallop dredging in the
Falmouth Bay SAC. 8 boats were towing up and down for several weeks, causing a public outcry due to the damage they were doing to a delicate marine habitat
Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee refused to do anything about this (apart
from a pointless "voluntary agreement" with the dredgers that they would
only dredge in November and December in the areas it was possible to dredge
in) despite it being clearly identified as their responsibility.
The Marine Conservation Society threatened to take the matter to the
European courts as it was clearly a breach of the Habitats Directive
legislation, and in February 2008 DEFRA finally went over the top of the Sea
Fisheries Committee and brought in a complete ban on scallop dredging in the
SAC, as required under European law. The seabed was now protected!
Obviously put out by this, the Sea Fisheries Committee then decided to chuck
their toys out of the pram and ban divers from taking scallops, as
"compensation" for the scallop dredgers.Once the closure had been decided,
some spurious science was dreamt up to attempt to justify it
The officers of the committee have consistently refused to regard diver
fishermen as legitimate stakeholders, or consider the economic benefits of
divers visiting the area
The area proposed represents over half of the area in Cornwall where
scallops are available to divers,and the only area where they are available
to shore divers.
This issue may not affect you directly, but if approved this byelaw will
make a dangerous precedent that diver fishermen are second class citizens in
the eyes of fisheries managers.
If you think this issue is important, please respond to the consultation,
and make your voice heard
cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment