Stuie

George Eustase's Quote "In recent weeks, anglers have told me that I should ban all commercial fishing and let anglers catch as much as they want. I rejected that, because recreational angling also contributes to bass mortality, and anglers must play their part." Typical - George Eustace's comments about anglers are so biased and totally not representative of all the anglers I know. No surprise there then - pity MP's aren't on performance related pay contracts... That would concentrate a few minds.

Personal letter sent to my MP Robert Syms.

Below is the first part of the latest AT news release which invites anglers to contact their own MP's for support in advance of Thursday's Commons Debate on the issues surrounding bass conservation and recreational angling. Links included will assist club members to do so. Angling Trust Campaign Appeal We need your help - urge your MP to speak up for bass and recreational sea anglers at Commons debateThe Angling Trust is appealing to members to support the battle to protect bass. Last week, North Cornwall MP and keen angler Scott Mann successfully secured a three-hour backbench debate in the House of Commons to highlight the unfairness of the current measures on recreational sea anglers. We are asking anglers to email their MPs with a link to our latest Fishing Lines briefing on bass and urging them to turn up for the Commons debate at 2.15pm on Thursday, February 11th to support Scott and speak up for angling. The debate is entitled 'Conservation of sea bass…’ and Scott will be moving the following motion: "This House believes that the recent EU restrictions on recreational bass fishing are unfair and fail to address the real threat to the future viability of UK bass stocks.” Here's how you can help: Find your MP by clicking here and entering your postcode Send your MP a message urging him to support Scott at the Commons debate and help protect bass. Remember to copy this link http://ow.ly/XWzUD to the Fishing Lines briefing and include it in your message If you wish, you can download a letter we have already prepared here: http://ow.ly/Y0cIL It already contains the link to the Fishing Lines briefing The Angling Trust and BASS will be supporting Scott in his efforts to highlight the need to create a sustainable recreational bass fishery delivering maximum economic benefit to coastal communities. Please do all you can to get your MP to help.

http://emarketing.blue-leaf.co.uk/t/ViewEmail/r/1CBB815AD6D48B062540EF23F30FEDED/F15D03278FAEE51C4BD7C9066BE4161D

Have a good one Paul.

Ministers agree to work on long term bass management plan as MPs prepare to debate new EU restrictions Representatives from the Angling Trust and the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society(BASS) have been battling for bass again this week and challenging both UK ministers and the European Commission over the unfair restrictions that are now in place on recreational anglers and the need for a proper, proportional and effective package of short term conservation measures coupled with a long term management plan that will rebuild bass stocks and deliver the best possible outcomes. On Tuesday (Feb 2) supportive MPs from the All Party Parliamentary Angling Group - Simon Hart, Charles Walker and Scott Mann - accompanied Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd and Campaigns Chief Martin Salter to meet with Environment Secretary Liz Truss and Fisheries Minister George Eustice. The original proposals from the Commission included a complete bass fishing ban for commercial vessels and recreational anglers (including catch and release) in the first half of 2016 and in the second half of 2016 a monthly one tonne catch limit for vessels targeting sea bass and a one fish per day bag limit for recreational anglers. The politicians were told that: Anglers were pleased to retain catch and release but angered when EU Fisheries Ministers caved in to pressure from commercial fishing interests and granted four month exemptions to commercial hook and line and the highly damaging bass fixed gill net fishery - responsible for 50% of landings – wrongly referred to as “low impact” This anger was compounded when ministers sought to portray the decision as good news for bass when in fact the monthly vessel catch limits were increased to 1.3 tonnes at the same time as anglers faced draconian restrictions. Thousands of anglers are now at risk of criminalisation if they try to keep the self-same bass that a netsman is free to kill during the moratorium. Recreational anglers were prepared to play their part in what we expected to be a fair, effective and proportionate package of measures that would help rebuild bass stocks but they have instead been singled out for regulation while the commercial nets will continue to take vast quantities of fish, much of which is unrecorded. The current situation cannot endure. The recreational bag limits are grossly unfair, make an ass of the law and fail to acknowledge that recreational sea angling is the most sustainable form of bass fishing which delivers the best economic return. Ministers accepted the proposal from the Angling Trust and BASS to work with Defra officials on a long term management plan for bass as was first suggested in the 2004 Net Benefits Report by the Cabinet Office. This would include both domestic measures like bass nursery areas and EU wide proposals ahead of the December 2016 Fishing Opportunities meeting. Commenting on this potential breakthrough, Martin Salter said: “Fair play to ministers for meeting some of their strongest critics and being willing to work with recreational anglers on trying to secure a long term future for the bass fishery rather than simply responding to short term commercial pressures. "Making year on year decisions simply in reaction to ICES advice and EU proposals is no prescription for achieving sensible policy. The current situation is risking ignoring the lessons of previous stock collapses and forcing the introduction of a complete moratorium on all forms of bass fishing which would be a disaster. "We must learn from good practice in the USA and elsewhere which delivers agreed resource sharing by species in line with good fishery management advice, best scientific evidence and key economic objectives." Long time bass campaigner Malcolm Gilbert said: “There has been a deluge of representations on the bass issue to George Eustice and Defra and in my opinion it's right that we see a more assertive representation of recreational sea anglers' interests. The Minister’s agreement for his officials to work with the Angling Trust and BASS to develop a long term management plan for bass is good news but both the content of such a plan and the willingness to take it forward will ultimately depend on continued political representation of anglers and all the businesses supported by recreational sea angling.” Meanwhile in Brussels... On Monday (Feb 1) a delegation of representatives from the European Anglers Alliance and European Fishing Tackle Trade Association met with the European Commission in Brussels to discuss measures to conserve bass. The EAA and EFTTA representatives, including David Mitchell from the Angling Trust, expressed the injustice felt by hundreds of thousands of recreational anglers who feel disproportionately impacted by conservation measures agreed in December 2015 by the European Council. David Mitchell, Secretary of the EAA Sea Sub-Group said: “The Commission listened to our concerns and took on board what we had to say. I was particularly pleased that a proposal for a monthly, rather than daily, bag limit for recreational fishing will be considered in more detail. We need to work with the Commission to build the case. This would go some way to ensuring anglers felt they were receiving a fairer deal in access to our publicly owned bass stocks.” Back in Westminster... This week, newly elected North Cornwall MP and keen angler Scott Mann was successful in his bid to secure a three hour backbench debate in the House of Commons entitled: 'Conservation of sea bass and the effect of related EU measures on the UK fishing industry'. The Angling Trust and BASS will be supporting Scott in his efforts to highlight the need to create a sustainable recreational bass fishery delivering maximum economic benefit to coastal communities. Picture caption: MPs from the All Party Parliamentary Angling Group - Simon Hart, Charles Walker and Scott Mann - with Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd preparing to battle for bass in the House of Commons Useful links: Fishing Lines Briefing Note - from the Angling Trust on the recent measures Net Benefits Report - Cabinet Office, March 2004 Bass Management Plan - BASS, October 2004

Haven't heard from you for a while. Hope all is well and you have a good day.

Best wishes Tom. Hope you've had a good day.

Best wishes Dogsbody - hope you're doing something special today....

Best wishes Brian - you're a star.

Belated best wishes Jamie - still sober?

Best wishes Fred, Bob, John IAN. Got it right eventually. Enoy your day

Angling Trust suggested questions for Fisheries Minister - Those members who feel strongly about the issue can contact him by letter or e-mail george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk. I will not respond on behalf of the club. Dear Club Secretary, RE BASS LIMITS Please find attached 20 suggested questions for your Club to aim at Fisheries Minister - Mr George Eustice MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA and or DEFRA. These questions have been compiled by our Hampshire Conservation Officer, Dick Stubbs and he says the more we bombard the Government re Bass Control, the better. It is in everyone's interest to do this, as you will have seen in Angling Trust's earlier Press Release today - Petitions have been set up all around our coast. We urge you to submit your letter on your Club's official headed paper. You can even urge your Club's Members to do exactly the same. Best Regards, Dick Prosser Secretary AT Wessex Region Marine Questions for George Eustice MP and or Defra What is the justification for increasing the limit on gill netting from 1 to 1.3 tons for bass when scientists recommend a reduction in the overall catch for 2016? What is the justification for anglers having a six month ban and commercial fishermen only being banned for two months? By how much will the overall change in rules reduce the total catch of bass in 2016? How much damage do Defra estimate will be done to the sport fishing industry with the introduction of the new restrictions? The current estimated value of the bass sport fishing industry in the Uk is £200,000,000 per year. What is this expected to be in 2016? What is the predicted growth to the economy of increasing the gill netting limit to 1.3 tons? There are estimated to be 800,000 sea anglers. Why discriminate against this number of people for the benefit of so few? This is bad law and as such will be held in contempt by many who will regard with contempt. The more a law is held in contempt the more likely it is to be broken. What steps will be taken to enforce this law? How do the EU and MAFF justify such discrimination against one section of the community to the benefit of another even when it is against economic sense and common justice? Can Mr George Eustice MP please justify his actions and statements to sea anglers? What is the estimated saving in the number of bass caught by the introduction of the new rules applied to anglers? What is the estimated increase in the number of bass caught as a result of the increased allowance for gill netting by commercial fishermen? By how much do Defra estimate the sport fishing industry will be damaged by the new regulations? How much longer will it take the bass fishery to recover in UK waters as a result of the increase in gill netting limits? How will Defra enforce the new law given the very low level of fisheries officers and IFCA resources? Is it in the public interest to prosecute somebody for taking just one fish given the time and cost of bringing the case to court? How much effort and resource will be redirected to enforce the new regulations by Defra or the local IFCA's? Will a compensation scheme be introduced to compensate commercial charter fishermen for their loss of earnings? Sport England are trying to promote angling as a pass time. Have they been consulted regarding this issue and is the result likely to be that fewer people are liable to take up fishing as a result? Will the Minister be campaigning to restore angler's right to catch three fish per trip and only be restricted to a closed season of two months for 2017?

Timely thread Dave - thanks.

Starting a new species hunt then Mal?

Certainly not an easy read - typical Eurobureaucracy. Rest assured every loophole known to man - and a few more besides - will be covered somewhere in there.

Just Bobbing along for another year - have a memorable day.

Birthday greetings Barry - enjoy. Fishy prezzies?

Latest AT News Release. http://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?itemid=2860&itemTitle=Minister+under+fire+for+false+claims+over+bass+landings&section=29&sectionTitle=Angling+Trust+News

Received from Natural England via AT, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492846/solent-dorset-departmental-brief.pdf Lots to read.

Done

Best wishes Rich - enjoy your day.

You young thing you......enjoy your day. Fishy prezzies?

Thanks Martin - more clarification from the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35328286 Unsurprisingly George Eustace makes no mention of Recreational Sea Anglers (RSA) - who appear to have no voice in the article at all. A spokesperson for the commercials has given his views. Even no mention from the Angling Trust. It appears we are the forgotten majority. Not for the first time. The 2012 RSA survey must mean nothing...

Best wishes today Jack - must be your lucky day - all the sevens. Hope all is well with you. Haven't heard from you for a while.