Stuie

Colin are youi sorted re crew etc for Sunday?

The big 70 - enjoy your day

http://anglingtrust-news.net/3XSU-9TK9-9A2NFPBK77/cr.aspx Conservation articles re Bluefin Tuna, Bass and Wrasse

Don't panic, Don't panic! Still 6 days left to reply to the EU Commission's consultation on Fishing Opportunities 2018. http://www.saveourseabass.org/en/email-the-eu/ Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Eustice? In January, we wrote about the grubby politics of the December 2016 Fishing Opportunities meeting. In the run-up to the meeting, we told Defra and George Eustice that there were two things that would make public sea anglers back home see red: Commercial fishermen being able to land bass during the first 6 months, when public sea anglers are not allowed to take a bass for the table; and Paying lip-service to our “Get the nets out” campaign, but undermining it with a targeting allowance dressed up as a by-catch allowance. We made it clear that, if there had to be a by-catch allowance for fixed netters, it should be 3% of their catch, the same as for demersal trawlers and seiners – a true bycatch allowance. Although the Fisheries Ministers did make it illegal for fixed netters to target bass, they cynically undermined this by creating an 250kg monthly allowance for “unavoidable by-catches” of bass, knowing full well that fixed netters would be able to continue to target bass and pretend they were caught as by-catch. Indeed, the UK Government initially tried to say it had agreed an allocation for fixed netters, before the EU Commission told them where to get off. We said in January that we were waiting for an explanation from the Marine Management Organisation of how it would approach the impossible job of enforcing an unenforceable “unavoidable by-catches” allowance. But any sympathy we might have had for the MMO’s predicament has vanished, for two reasons: They wrote to fixed netters telling them: “The vessel named below is authorised to fish for bass using the gears specified” (our emphasis). If the law says that fixed netters cannot target bass, what on earth is the MMO doing telling them that they can fish for bass? The MMO has refused to correct this. We were told that they were going to operate a percentage of catch policy, to distinguish targeting from by-catch. But in July, IFCA officers told us they hadn’t received any guidance from the MMO. And the MMO would not tell us or commercial fishermen what percentage of catch they were going to use. What a shambolic way to run a fishery, leaving commercial fishermen to guess what percentage of catch would be treated as “unavoidable by-catches” rather than illegal targeting. Of course, the reality is that fixed netters are completely ignoring this, because they know it would be virtually impossible to prove that they were targeting bass and not something else. To date, we are not aware of any commercial fixed netter having been accused by the MMO of targeting bass. And yet the landing data shows that fixed net bass landings are actually increasing, not decreasing! Defra estimated fixed netting landings for the whole of 2017 would be 43 tonnes, but by the end of June alone, they were already 52 tonnes and we estimate that by the end of the year they will be up 240%. But the hook & liners’ 10 tonnes per annum allowance takes the absolute biscuit for Fisheries Ministers treating public sea anglers as complete mugs. When we checked the landing data, we found that in 2015 and 2016, not one single UK hook and line vessel had caught more than 10 tonnes in a year. The restriction that never was! Does all this make you mad as hell? It should do! Public sea anglers are happy to do their bit to restore the stock, but not while commercial fishermen are either untouched or can exploit deliberately-created loop-holes. You have just 6 days left to tell the EU Commission how disgusted you are by this duplicity, so please reply to the consultation now: http://www.saveourseabass.org/en/email-the-eu/ Best Wishes from the Save Our Sea Bass team. Copyright © 2017 saveourseabass.org, All rights reserved. Your are receiving this email because you have previously participated in the Save Our Sea Bass campaign.

Enjoy your day...

Sea Dream - Sunday - Stuie fishing comp - Neal as crew not in comp as he's with Tony on Monday.

Very pleased for you Nige. Onwards and upwards now then....

Well done Mel for taking the plunge and joining the club - best move I ever made...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-41013487/queen-scallops-are-thriving-in-lyme-bay

Always nice to look at the positives Steve - best wishes.

Neal persuaded me that a trip out would be therapeutic - not that I needed much convincing after a long lay-off - although I was a little apprehensive. Off we went into the bay with a plan of drifting for plaice - several charters and privateers had a simar idea in the calm conditions with a gentle on-shore breeze giving a good drift speed. First drift a little further out than the charters brought two flatties - so the usual tricj of zig-zagging along to try different ground continued to provide occasional flats, tubs and small bream. Eventually returned to our first drift further out to find the spotties had switched on. plenty of fish including a double shot - quite a few good keepers - and then |Neal shouts - I've never had one of these before - as he lifted a golden grey mullet aboard. Neither of us had ever seen one before - impressive. We ended up with around 4 dozen plaice - most of which were returned - a lovely day - back at Cobbs at 3pm

http://anglingtrust-news.net/3XSU-98D2-9A2NFPBK77/cr.aspx

Have a good one....

http://anglingtrust-news.net/3XSU-99Q1-9A2NFPBK77/cr.aspx

If it is you Bob, sounds like you'll fit right in.....bring a bit of class to the membership.

Excellent report Mikey - you certainly made the right decision - good photos too.

Enjoy your day - wet on the inside too?

Enjoy your day...

You'll need extra crew to lift it Rob.......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-40804771

http://anglingtrust-news.net/3XSU-8XJK-9A2NFPBK77/cr.aspx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40684581 Seems sensible Jim?

Welcome Mike - best move I ever made was to join the club - lots of well informed members - always sprinkled with a little humour.

Two more dead spurdogs here then! - and species hunt at Weymouth.. http://anglingtrust-news.net/3XSU-8CU4-9A2NFPBK77/cr.aspx

Thanks Oli for going the extra mile - you've made a lot of people very happy.