Urgent: Ask your MP to Support This Weeks Parliamentary Debate on Bass Angling and New Regulations
The debate in the House of Commons on Thursday (11th Feb) relating to our bass is fast approaching. Since blogging on this last week the actual title of the debate has been clarified to reflect that it is all about the concerns of us anglers to the 2016 bass regulations. It is titled:“Conservation of sea […]
Net Gains: Gross Injustice
A year ago in a small Cornish harbour I watched a commercial fisherman sorting a catch of bass. Such was his bonanza that his gillnets appeared to be more flesh than monofilament. This windfall for the mostly part-time potters went on for weeks. The huge pre-spawning aggregations of bass that had shoaled up from […]
Decision on 2016 Bass Regulations is Imminent: We Urgently Need to Make More Noise!
The proposed EU 2016 bass landing restrictions have impacted like a rock in an aquarium. Now as the waves settle out the reactions of different parties can be better judged. Many it seems appear confused, some are fighting, while others are seeking to exploit the situation. Our analysis of the proposals is while they are […]
Latest ICES advice: 85% reduction in bass landings is now needed in 2016!
The long awaited advice for bass was issued today by ICES (the EU’s own scientist advising on fish stocks). They included recommendations for our area of the central and south North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel, the Bristol Channel and the Celtic Sea. The ICES figures are the key data that informs us […]
New EU rule restricting commercial fishing for bass
From 24 June 2015, two new EU rules restrict commercial fishing for bass: 1) monthly vessel catch limits (“VCL”); and 2) a ban on EU vessels fishing for bass in the waters around Ireland. The VCL are different for each métier, ranging from 1.0 tonnes a month to 3.0 tonnes a month (see here). […]