CHAPTER 8 – PROTECT AND SURVIVE
Nursery Areas
Fishing for bass from any vessel, as well as fishing for any species of sea-fish using sandeels as bait, is prohibited by law in 37 separate areas for all or part of the year. These areas, their extent and the length of prohibition are shown below.
These ‘nursery areas comprise river estuaries, harbours and power station outfalls where juvenile bass usually predominate. In certain nursery areas, fishing may also be subject to other restrictions implemented by the local sea fisheries committee or the Environment Agency.
The prohibition on bass fishing in nursery areas does not apply to fishing from the shore. However, it is expected that shore anglers will respect the need for this prohibition and either not fish in nursery areas all, or return to the sea any bass caught within them.
Responsibility for enforcement rests with the Fisheries Departments and their Sea Fisheries Inspectorate. The Inspectorate is assisted by the officers of local Sea Fisheries Committees, who are empowered to enforce both national and regional conservation measures.
Note: The information below was correct when it was first published – it may not be correct now.
| BASS NURSERY AREA | PERIOD APPLYING |
|---|---|
| 1. Blyth Power Station | All Year |
| 2. Bradwell Power Station | |
| 3. Grain Power Station | |
| 4. Kingsnorth Power Station | |
| 5. Dungeness Power Station | |
| 6. Chichester Harbour | Between 30 April and 1 November |
| 7. Langstone Harbour | |
| 8. Portsmouth Harbour | |
| 9. Southampton Water | |
| 10. Fawley Power Station | All Year |
| 11. Poole Harbour | Between 30 April and 1 November |
| 12. The Fleet | All Year |
| 13. River Exe, Devon | Between 30 April and 1 November |
| 14. River Teign | |
| 15. River Dart, Devon | Between 30 April and 1 January |
| 16. Salcombe Harbour | |
| 17. River Avon, Devon | |
| 18. River Yealm | |
| 19. Plymouth Rivers | All Year |
| 20. River Fowey | Between 30 April and 1 January |
| 21. Fal Estuary | |
| 22. Percuil River | |
| 23. Helford River | |
| 24. Camel Estuary | Between 30 April and 1 December |
| 25. River Torridge | Between 30 April and 1 November |
| 26. River Taw | |
| 27. Aberthaw Power Station | All Year |
| 28. Burry inlet | Between 30 April and 1 November |
| 29. Taf, Tywi and Gwendraeth Estuary | |
| 30. Milford Haven | |
| 31. Teifi Estuary | |
| 32. River Dyfi | |
| 33. River Mawddach | |
| 34. Dwyryd/Glaslyn Estuary | |
| 35. Conwy Estuary | |
| 36. Dee Estuary | Between 30 April and 1 October |
| 37. Heysham Power Station | All Year |
Author: Geoff Gonella
Photo: Rob Pope
© Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society 2008