Commercial fishing, but at what cost?

PLEASE sea anglers, campaign for a rod licence NOW because without it your actual political clout is limper than Larry Grayson's pocket handkerchief.

Keith Arthur
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Watch Keith Arthur on Tight Lines every Friday on Sky Sports

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I have defended this government and praised them on their pro-angling stance many times. I believed they worked well for all anglers. However I am now changing my mind and will watch very carefully how the proposals going into the Marine Bill in 2008 are carried out, particularly regarding changes in laws with regard to what I describe as 'bag limits' for coarse fish.

The main reason my mind has been changed is that the new DEFRA Minister, Jonathan Shaw, has perpetuated the renege of his predecessor Ben Bradshaw and failed to enforce the new Minimum Landing Size (MLS) for bass. This was carried through on a wave of euphoria amongst sea anglers, and their supporters who fish inland, as a turning of the tide against the most corrupt and devious legal 'industry' in Europe.

Commercial sea fishing makes huge sums of money that is never accounted for. Illegal fish is landed every day and because it is illegally landed it cannot be sold 'through the system' but goes via the back door and back pocket. The excellent book by Charles Clover - The End of the Line - gives some amazing statistics, including the fact that over 50% of the cod and haddock landed in Britain are not accounted for and go through the black fish market.

I don't know whether you saw the recent BBC 'Trawlermen' programme, where the poor old struggling skipper's wife turned up to meet him at the dock, dripping with jewellery, in her brand new BMW X5? Another boat's engine went pop and needed between £250,000 and £500,000 spending on it. He didn't talk about scuppering the boat and why not? Because the industry is coining loads of tax-free dosh is why.

So our 'leaders' have decided that this lamest of lame duck industries, gradually killing itself at our expense (Mr Clover pointed out that compared to fishermen's subsidies, farmers have a very hard time!) should be countenanced rather than a group that take nothing from the environment in measurable terms.

I could go on at enormous length about commercial sea fishermen. Here's one for you to chew on: cod stocks are at death's door yet the commercial fishermen want to continue to catch them. You may think that's suicide (which is it from the cod's standpoint) but now think on this: Cod eat prawns, lingoustine and other shellfish. One pull of the net on good prawn grounds earns more for the fishermen than a week's work catching cod. There is no filleting, no waste, only profit. If you could eradicate what ate your biggest earner, wouldn't you want to make sure there weren't any left? It is a no-brainer, and of course bass also eat shellfish so why not earn a fast buck on baby bass before they are big enough to eat prawns too?

Now I don't want to suggest to commercial fishermen that by landing bigger bass they will earn more money: I would fight tooth and nail to bring about what has happened with striped bass in the USA: BAN COMMERCIAL FISHING FOR THEM ALTOGETHER! If mini-bass are what diners want, then there are plentiful supplies of those from fish farms from the Mediterranean to Mozambique.

Unfortunately, the political voice of sea anglers revolves around the tenacity of good men such as Bob Cox, Malcolm Gilbert and one or two more. They do it for nothing, even if they have businesses to run that actually need fish to thrive.

PLEASE sea anglers, campaign for a rod licence NOW because without it your actual political clout is limper than Larry Grayson's pocket handkerchief.

Now let's look at some of this week's questions...

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SEARCH FOR THE SLIDER
Hi Keith, I love the Friday night "Tight Lines" shows on Sky, but I admit to being a little more for the Course and Match categories as I am not a complete all round angler like yourself. Due to having a broken wrist I am currently not fishing (for a few months sadly), and a friend lent me a copy of the old "Match Fishing" book by Benny Ashurst which I am really enjoying. One of Benny's favorite floats was the (none loaded) "Peacock Slider" (bottom fixed) with various cork bodies for a quick change solution, to suit all various conditions. Would you happen to know where I could buy such a float or would I have to make one myself? As you know, fashions come and go and return again in Angling, and I saw Alan Scotthorne on your show the other week advocating the use of the sliding float which he won the world championship with yet again. (Correct me if I am wrong I think it's twice on the slider for Alan). I know Dick Clegg used to make a slider but I am really struggling to find a shop that sells bodied wagglers these days especially unloaded - can you help please? Graham Clarke.

KEITH SAYS: They are out there Graham. I use 'Drennan Tench Perfection' floats in Winter fishing corn on match carp lakes: incredibly stable. They are a bit light for sliders though. Alan mentioned Dick Clegg's sliders, well, Dick's company is: http://internettackleshop.co.uk/company.asp?ID=49, although I couldn't find sliders. Maybe it's worth a call? My personal choice for sliding floats for most 'normal' slider situations are Ian Heaps' range. I can't find them anywhere, but Ian has a website: http://www.ian-heaps.com/ and you may be able to source some there. Ian was the first to win 'The Worlds' on a slider, in 1976! Ian's are slightly loaded which helps them 'sit' on the bulk shot when casting and 'stand' so the bulk can pull the line through the little ring at the float's base. Benny's floats were home made: I spoke to him several times, and Kevin many more times, and his range of 'wagglers'. (Kevin coined the name: the originator, John Rolfe, called them 'swingers', which was better than the old name for 'bottom-end' floats: 'peg-legs'!) Kevin carried seven bits of peacock quill with eyes araldited into the base, and four corks that fitted on to the peacock. Those corks also fitted his sticks! That would be too simple to sell. IF you can find some wine with REAL corks and some peacock quill (Mr Clegg may be able to help with the latter) you could entertain yourself - preferably before emptying the wine bottle!

FISH FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Hi Keith, I run a local lake in Wolverhampton with 150 members. We are thinking of introducing pellet next season but some members are reluctant saying it causes all sorts of problems, so we would welcome your input into our discussion. Many thanks. Keith Woodbridge, Chubb Angling Club.

KETIH SAYS: Hi Keith, Fish pellets were invented to be a total diet for fish! The problems arise when 'wrong' pellets are used. Halibut pellets don't contain halibut, or halibut oil, in the same way as trout pellets have no trout in: they were designed for halibut and trout to eat in fish farms. Coarse, or carp, even koi pellets (VERY expensive some of those) do no harm at all IN MODERATION; in fact they could do a lot of good. IF your members can be trusted to obey the rules, then I would recommend allowing coarse fish pellets. However, too much of a good thing can cause problems so I would make a sensible bait limit. 1 kilo (2.2lbs) per day per angler would be a good idea in my opinion, and ONLY coarse/carp pellets. NO 'trouties' or the others as they have a high oil content which the gullets of coarse fish (they don't have stomachs like trout) cannot digest. Skrettings are suppliers of many kinds of fish feed and make a good range of sizes in 'coarse fish pellets'. They supply many of the bait companies. Maybe the club could 'invest' in some and actually sell them to members?

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