 |
Fisheries Science
Centre for environment fisheries and aquaculture (CEFAS). As you may have already read
fisheries science is at best inaccurate, this is due to a
combination of reasons.
Mainly because of poor funding by government and a lack of practical experience by the marine biologists conducting the studies.
NUTFA
would like to work closely with CEFAS and combine our skills to produce
accurate data but will not be able to accept the findings of any
scientific fisheries study that affect our members, unless it has
been involved in the study from the outset, had input throughout the
study and final report.
If NUTFA is not involved in the study it will not be able to recognise it as authentic or fit for purpose.
THE WAY FORWARD
NUTFA would like to
orchestrate many new conservation measures including the closing of
the biggest cod spawning area in the southern North Sea during some
winter months.
As CEFAS is currently unaware of its existence, a full study needs to be done by local boats in the trevose box off Cornwall to ensure the box is the correct size and to determine how the cod stocks inside are recovering.
We would like to see the UK minimum landing size on skate applied in all EU countries to stop hundreds of tons of immature fish being landed by foreign vessels and sold as Lobster pot bait, which has been caught in the southern North Sea, where UK vessels are heavily restricted on landings of mature skate.
NUTFA would also like to see a
kw restriction on all European vessels pair trawling for the
spawning stocks of bass in the winter channel fishery, there are
hundreds of fishing and angling boats all over Europe reliant on
these stocks in the summer months, which in turn reduces the
pressure on more vulnerable stocks.
There are many other
conservation issues that need to be addressed to protect our fish
stocks all around our coastline that only an organisation like
NUTFA with the practical local knowledge and
experience can achieve.
|
|
GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is undoubtedly having a massive
impact on the migrating habits of our fish stocks, as we haven’t had
a cold winter for over 20 years. Bass stocks are far more abundant
and have moved north approximately 300 miles.
Red mullet fisheries
are becoming established on the south coast where as they were
virtually unheard of and all kinds of different Mediterranean
species are appearing in our southern waters in the summer months at
an increasing rate.
Cod is at its southern limit in The English
Channel. They are also expected to move north along with all other
species and their southern limit in another twenty years is expected
to be nearer the 52 DEG line.
Our present fishery Minister is Jonathan Shaw.
If you would like to comment by e-mail on DEFRA's Gross miss-management of your
fish stocks, please contact DEFRA by clicking here
|
|
NUTFA COMMENT
"Our last fisheries Minister was Ben Bradshaw,
he choose to also completely ignore the unfair quota
allocations.
This caused the
unnecessary destruction of thousands of tons of large marketable
fish during his term in office and created many other problems for
the industry.
This association will be fully enlightening
his constituents of this come election time, and hopefully end his
political career."
|
