Anglers Trust Sea Angling News August 2023

[Steve S]

Sea News Update   |   August 2023  Stunning 52cm Ballan Wrasse caught in the Angling Trust Tronix Pro Species Hunt - full details later in this newsletter    New consultation: Highly Protected Marine Areas fishing management   The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) are consulting on the proposed management measures to ban fishing (commercial and recreational) within the site boundaries of newly designated Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).   The Angling Trust will be responding to this consultation and will publish our response in due course, but we strongly encourage individual anglers, charter skippers, private boat owners, angling clubs and tackle shops impacted by these proposed management measures to also share their views by responding to the consultation.   Those fishing recreationally in Allonby Bay (pictured) are encouraged to respond in particular due to the location of the site and the impact on local anglers, businesses and tourism.     The consultation closes on Thursday 14th September 2023.    There are three newly designated HPMAs in English waters: Allonby Bay (inshore) and Dolphin Head and North Farnes Deep (offshore).    Allonby Bay is an inshore HPMA situated in the Irish Sea. It covers the southern region at the mouth of the Solway Firth and extends approximately 5.6km seaward from the shoreline between Maryport and Mawbray.    Dolphin Head is situated beyond the 12 nautical mile territorial sea limit in the Eastern English Channel. It is approximately 55km south of Selsey Bill, West Sussex.    North Farnes Deep is situated beyond the 12 nautical mile territorial sea limit in the Northern North Sea Region. At its closest, it is approximately 55km from the coast to the east of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.    If you have any queries, concerns or views you would like to share please get in touch with the Angling Trust at admin@anglingtrust.net        Have Your Say Future Fisheries Management LIVE   The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a number of important consultations on changes that will transform the way we manage our fisheries – ensuring we deliver a thriving, sustainable fishing industry and healthy marine environment for generations to come. Throughout summer, Defra will be hosting a series of engagement events, in-person and online, to gather stakeholder views on their plans.   The Angling Trust strongly encourage individual anglers, charter skippers, private boat owners, angling clubs and tackle shops to attend an event local to them and share their views. At these events you will find out what the reforms mean for UK fisheries management and contribute your views to a range of consultations.   Lowestoft - Lowestoft Library | Tuesday 15th August 14:00 West Mersea - The Victoria at Mersea | Wednesday 16th August 16:30 Gosport - Gosport & Stokes Bay Golf Club | Tuesday 22nd August 16:30 Weymouth - Best Western Hotel Rembrandt | Wed 23rd August 14:00 Poole - Poole Quay Hotel | Thursday 24th August 10:00 Rye - Rye Community Centre | Tuesday 29th August 16:30 Folkestone - Folkestone Yacht & Motor Boat Club | Wed 30th August 10:00 Whitstable - Whitstable Umbrella Centre | Thursday 31st August 17:00     Open consultations       The Angling Trust will be responding to the below consultations and providing guidance to anglers who wish to respond in due course. In the meantime, take a look at the current open opportunities to have your say on fisheries management.   Bass Fishery Management Plan - Consultation Closes 1st October 2023 Channel Demersal NQS Fishery Management Plan - Consultation Closes 1st October 2023 Southern North Sea & Eastern Channel Flatfish Fishery Management Plan - Consultation Closes 1st October 2023 Recreational Bluefin Tuna Fishery - Consultation Closes 4th September 2023 Finfish Licence Cap - Consultation Closes 30th August 2023 Discards Reform - Consultation Closes 9th October 2023 Remote Electronic Monitoring - Consultation Closes 9th October 2023     SAVE THE DATE Save The Date   Virtual Sea Angling Forum - Pollack FISP – Thursday 5th October 2023     Join us for a Virtual Sea Angling Forum on Thursday 5th October 18:30-19:30 where we will be joined by the Pollack FISP team who will provide an overview of the project’s progress and findings so far. There will be opportunities to ask the team questions and share your thoughts and observations on pollack. Whilst Pollack FISP is focused on the southwest of England, we encourage all with an interest in pollack to attend. Register here   Angling for Sustainability Workshop – Weymouth Angling Society – Tuesday 22nd August 2023   Due to popular demand we are hosting another #AnglingforSustainability workshop on Tuesday 22nd August - this time in Weymouth! Come and join us at Weymouth Angling Society for an evening of chatting about black bream and learn how you can get involved in this exciting project. Thanks to the support of recreational anglers and skippers, there are now over 100 acoustically tagged black bream swimming around the Dorset coast - have you caught one? Let us know at fishtracking@plymouth.ac.uk     Catchwise   East of England Surveyors and Volunteers   We’re hiring! The Angling Trust are seeking applications for a paid contract field surveyor(s) based in the East of England to join a nationwide team across England and Wales as part of the Catchwise project - the biggest single study of sea angling undertaken for over a decade. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely together with the recreational fisheries sector and other stakeholders within marine management. Catchwise is funded through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) and will involve collaboration with the project's partners, Substance and Cefas. Find out more Can’t commit to a part-time role? Become a Catchwise Volunteer instead.      Supper for Science   Developing a bass tissue bank for the study of connectivity between European coastal nursery habitats     Supper for Science aims to develop a better understanding of the contribution of sea bass nurseries to different adult populations around the UK. Understanding where bass fry end up and which areas best support growth and survival to adulthood is important to a sustainable bass fishery, AND YOU CAN HELP!   This is a great opportunity for anglers to get involved in research which will help to restore bass stocks and maintain them in the future. If you are keeping a bass (or two) for the table, it would be great if you could pop the raw head(s) into the freezer ready for subsequent collection by Essex University, who will analyse them as part of their research. To register your interest and let them know about any bass heads you have collected, please email the University on seabasstastic@gmail.com     GET FISHING   Get into fishing and get a Blue Peter Sport Badge!     Age 5 to 15? Send in a few words and a picture, video or art showing you learning to fish to get the new Blue Peter Sport Badge designed by football legend Leah Williamson. Find out more Register free on British Blind Sport Activity Finder     Angling clubs can register free on the British Blind Sport Activity Finder with VI  (Visually Impaired) friendly fishing activities and competitions - it only takes a few minutes. Find out more     Species Hunt     Over 400 new entries hit the Angling Trust Tronix Pro Species Hunt email box in July as the free-to-enter sea fishing competition headed into its summer season in style. Despite the foul weather there were fish galore reported from all over the country this month, including some remarkable specimens, with each different species earning valuable points for their captors.   Since the event kicked off on April 1 there has been nearly 1,700 fish catches submitted and we’re starting to see the three leaderboards – Elite, Seniors, and Juniors – grow and take shape with plenty of movement as anglers tick off their target fish. Don’t worry if you’re not in the reckoning just yet, there are plenty more fish to be caught during this year-long event!   July's leaderboard revealed     It’s incredibly tight at the top of the three leaderboards with just 12 points separating the top five in the busy Seniors league. Last month’s leader, Pembrokeshire’s Ben Price, only added a single point to his score in July but it was enough to keep him at the top of the table ahead of a chasing pack led by Luke Woodford on 35 and Darren Pearson who leaped from fifth to third with 34 species caught.   The Elite anglers have piled on the points this month and it’s a familiar name – Martin Avons – who continues to dominate this league set up for last year’s top 30 anglers. The 2022-23 overall champion Simon Lancastle is hot on his heels though and has moved up from tenth to second in the last two months. He now stands on 43 points ahead of third-placed Neil Stephenson, from Thirsk, who managed to catch an impressive 12 different species this month.   Reuben Judge extended his lead at the top of the Juniors’ League by adding five more fish to his total this month taking him to 25 points overall. He’s being hotly chased by Zephyr Laramy, from Ilfracombe, who is still holding onto second place with 16 species although he is now in a tie with Hemingstone’s Mark Banham.   Beautiful bream takes July specimen honour     There were four outstanding fish in the running for this month’s Specimen Award - a 148cm Conger Eel caught by Simon Lancastle, a 3lb 3oz Gilthead Bream taken by Mark Griffiths, a Common Smooth-hound of 102cm caught by Jason Warne, and a 52cm Ballan Wrasse which fell to Simon Gavey.   All provided great pictures of their fish, but it was Mark Griffiths’ rare Gilthead Bream which was selected by our experts as the best of the four, although this was one of the closest calls we’ve ever had to make.   Congratulations to all the anglers who submitted catches for Species Hunt and Specimen Awards in July - we’re looking forward to seeing your August fish.     Member Offer Lure fishing for wrasse or bass? Get 10% off at Predator Tackle     Our friends at Predator Tackle offer 10% discount on all online sales - just one of the great benefits you receive as an Angling Trust Individual Member, including savings on tackle, bait, fishing books, holidays, travel, household goods - and more! Click here to find out more.