No fish left in the sea's...

[swkieran]

Aye I've seen the pier literally shoulder to shoulder with them in the peak of season. The E Europeans have decimated some inland fisheries too. I must admit the Liberty Lass looks funny with a full compliment of mackerel bashers onboard too. A far cry from one of the little 12 seaters. I rarely get chance to go fishing working in the trade but if I do it is normally on Saltwind out of Dartmouth. I have often seen folks fishing from armchair rock and thought "is it worth the hassle" as we cut the lines with the boat.

Nothing racist mate. A grockle is a grockle regardless of background lol.

I see my post above was edited. Apologies if one got a little agitated.

I always wondered what the liberty lass was used for you often see her docked in Paignton harbour,quite a big vessel up close but looks small when she's out on the sea,there's a one man band operation that works out of Paignton harbour he is a crabber I think is the boat called the Claire Louise I think it's a shabby looking red trawler with r39 on the side,you proberly know him or have seen his vessel out and about ,you must fish the skerries then working out of Dartmouth.

[rawfish111]

TBH I work on pleasure boats and have never taken a rod as far as the skerries (although plenty of grockles down that way doing coastal trips) Liberty Lass is the largest of Kenny and Ash Lanes boats usually used for liberty boat work and supply jobs for various ships... They had quite a bit of work during the last Olympics. They are both bloody good blokes and know their trade.

I think I have seen the Claire Louise in Brixham harbour from time to time but I don't know the bloke who operates her.

[rawfish111]

Up here the fishermen hava bonanza. They say they have never seen as much cod as now. The water jet propelled ferries between the islands are having problem as their coolinjg water intakes are being blocked by herring sucked into them while at speed. And then you have the Mackerell. Until 5 years ago it was un-heard of up here. We never saw it. Now the fjords are filled with them each summer. And they come further and further north each year....same story goes for hallibut, and coal fish...

Aye I was reading an article a while back about some English fishermen who went for a holiday out your way and after landing their days catch. Pleased as punch with, what for them was a record haul, only for a local to walk by and shake his head and say "yup the problem is getting through those little ones to the big fish"

Coalfish are getting more scarce here too ...as well as everything else.

[Midge_Fodder]

I was reading an article that otter boarding was still legal in Norway

[rawfish111]

I was reading an article that otter boarding was still legal in Norway

They torture information out of Otters???

Sorry ... couldn't resist

[Midge_Fodder]

That was terrible...... Not quite worthy of a crimbo cracker

[FishyFolk]

I was reading an article that otter boarding was still legal in Norway

Yup...unless it's forbidden by the land owner in the particular lake you fish at.
We do have a lot of lakes that are completely over populated as most lakes are not cultivated...

[Bernie]

I have no idea what Otter boarding is. I thought it'd involve Otters, but from the little I could harvest from the web, it's more about fishing.

South Africa has similar punishments for illegal fishing. Taking more than your quota, or under size fish/shellfish can lead to all your equipment used in capturing that catch being taken away. That'll include your boat, car, trailer, and the rest. We had to buy annual crayfish licenses, which also educated people on daily limits of numbers and sizes.

Whilst some people might be idiots, I suspect there are a lot of people fishing in English waters simply ignorant of the laws that pertain to it. Maybe a little emphasis on education would help?

For example, whilst I might know my Bream from my Bass, there are many other fish species I wouldn't recognise. I'll be fishing from my SOT this Summer and I expect it to be highly educational. I was thinking of trying to get my speargun in working order again but living on the South Coast of Devon, I'm not sure what I'd be likely to find. I do think spearfishing is kinder in the sense that only the fish we select are bothered, and the end is pretty quick for them.

There really is only one solution to the world's ever decreasing habitat and resources in my opinion. We need far fewer of one particular species; the invasive and prevalent homosapien.

[bigpaul]

I've been saying for years there are too many people, I saw this on Sunday when I went to Exeter(Marsh Barton) car boot-the place was heaving at 07.45 AM! they were still coming in at 10AM but by then there were no parking spaces left. don't get to go fishing these days, haven't been for over 15 years since I left Plymouth, the nearest "coast" is now a 50+ mile round trip.

[Midge_Fodder]

I have no idea what Otter boarding is. I thought it'd involve Otters, but from the little I could harvest from the web, it's more about fishing.

South Africa has similar punishments for illegal fishing. Taking more than your quota, or under size fish/shellfish can lead to all your equipment used in capturing that catch being taken away. That'll include your boat, car, trailer, and the rest. We had to buy annual crayfish licenses, which also educated people on daily limits of numbers and sizes.

Whilst some people might be idiots, I suspect there are a lot of people fishing in English waters simply ignorant of the laws that pertain to it. Maybe a little emphasis on education would help?

For example, whilst I might know my Bream from my Bass, there are many other fish species I wouldn't recognise. I'll be fishing from my SOT this Summer and I expect it to be highly educational. I was thinking of trying to get my speargun in working order again but living on the South Coast of Devon, I'm not sure what I'd be likely to find. I do think spearfishing is kinder in the sense that only the fish we select are bothered, and the end is pretty quick for them.

There really is only one solution to the world's ever decreasing habitat and resources in my opinion. We need far fewer of one particular species; the invasive and prevalent homosapien.

Otter boarding is ruthlessly effective. It uses a team of 8 to 12 flies swam at different depths. Why it's illegal is it was the poachers method of choice. Poachers don't like to mess about, they can't justify the risks without the prize for them at the end. Using an otter board or lath, is both silent easily stored. So on the whole as a bushcraft fishing method it's great but very illegal. Getting caught is treated the same as dead lines, gill nets and gaffs here.