Interesting question Marcel - from what I understand of flatfish this is how it goes :
sole = buried under a couple of centimetres of sand so if you find one you are pretty lucky.
brill = the same colour as the gravel so again really well camoflaged and I bet I have swam over about 90 massive ones !
plaice = pretty hard to see unless they are on the surface.
I think that if you use a tank to do what you enjoy then fair play. It's pretty dangerous tank diving as far as I am aware and how many people go tank diving here in Guernsey ? I don't know but I reckon that maybe 20 people do it and of them only 5 or so do it to any intensity. So the damage to the fish population ? Not sure... Equally you could say that there is a definite impact on the bass population from those who plug five in one session... Again when you compare the stats against commercial or even recreational net/rod & line fishermen it is just a minimal amount.
Drag netting wipes out the sea bed and gill netting is a bad way to go and both pretty indescriminatory...
A few fish for friends and family every few weekends ... if you use a tank or freedive what is the difference ?
Some days you get a few some you get nothing - I think that responsibility is a good thing too but where would you define the limits of 'enough'... I thnk that I have had a fair few bass this year already but would you say that that was irresponsible and as people have demonstrated on this page if you know where to go you can get 5 in a session.. Where is the sport in that ? I'm not sure either but I still go ! Where is the sense in playing computer games or watching Big Brother ?! None as far as I can see yet many play/watch... (yeah I know slightly different as one has no environmental impact - at least not on higher animals
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I feel that those who hunt for big grouper/marlin/bluefin to be a bit of a bad lot too but that's just me. I don't see the responsibility in hunting large non-shoaling fish. A bit wooly but for me I am happier going for fish that reproduce quickly and shoal. Preferably silver but in the case of dentici I will make an exception. So bass are in and grouper are out...
I don't shoot mullet as I don't like to. No other reason except the flavour and the smell. Bass seem cleaner and more silvery. Same with wrasse - I have tried one and really liked it but can't bring myself to shoot them as they seem too friendly.
Last time I went I let about 5 or so smaller bass pass by as I have quite a few in the fridge and freezer. Is this responsible fishing ? I hope so but equally if I had seen a whopper I would have had a go (man's desire to bring home the biggest I guess).
Hmmm.. interesting question.... got me pondering now... I'll thnk about it a bit more... Ed