Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority was told that it should consult on radical changes it made to its proposed netting byelaw (scrapping the proposed “netting exclusion zones” and allowing netting very close to the shore).
Bass Angling Conservation has now replied to the consultation. You can read our full response below, but the key points are:
- SxIFCA needs to consider the needs of recreational fishers, not just commercial fishers. Nearshore nets damage the sea angling experience and reduce socio-economic benefits: nearshore nets can stop sea anglers casting, and strip fish out of a local area, both short term and long term.
- more protection is needed for sea trout. The Environment Agency has said protecting just the top 1.5 metres of the water column from nets is not sufficient. We need nearshore spatial restrictions.
- drift nets should be subject to the same rules as fixed nets, following Environment Agency advice.
- in 2023, no one landed fish into Sussex caught using ring nets or seine nets. So let’s stop them being used Sussex.
Comment (5)
Paul Lawrence| July 2, 2024
Thank you for you efforts.
A supportive bass angler that him and his friends spend thousands of pounds on this pursuit , and is an ever growing sport , if there are bass to catch. !!
d1a2v3i4d5| July 2, 2024
Thank you very much for your support and kind words Paul, it is much appreciated.
Bob Kitcher| July 3, 2024
The South coast is very important for anglers who fish for any of the mullet species and those fish are very much inshore species. Any netting close to shore has a devastating effect on mullet populations. Mullet anglers regard them as a first class recreational species and normally practice catch and return, taking a great deal of care to return them unharmed. A healthy and plentiful mullet population would attract anglers who value challenging and exciting fish species, bringing a greater benefit to local communities than the commercial value of those fish.
Heber Crawford| July 4, 2024
Small commercial fishing boats operating on very limited days at sea setting nets in very limited parts of a tide cycle having very limited impact on fish stocks with limited by catch. Stop EU boats decimating our fish stocks and leave our small time fisherman alone with there struggles to meet ends meet. Stand up for our traditions instead of trying to eradicate the last dieing bread.
d1a2v3i4d5| July 5, 2024
UK Commercial U10m gill netters landed 228 tonnes of bass in 2023, one third of total UK bass landings. That is a very significant tonnage and probably understated, since it is likely some netters are misdeclaring their bass as line caught in order to avoid the netting catch limits. Also, the landing data suggests many commercial netters are illegally targeting bass, particularly as they aggregate and migrate to spawn – totally unsustainable behaviour.