After major pressure from the sea angling community on their MP’s and MEP’s the proposals to include sea anglers catches in commercial catch quotas look set to be amended.

The new directive, based around the infamous Article 47, which was well aired here at WSF, suggests that normal catches of general species aboard boats will not now have to be documented and recorded if caught as a pleasure only catch. 

South East Tory MEP Richard Ashworth from Folkestone feels the U-turn is due to the aggressive Conservative campaign in the European Parliament.

He said: “The initial plans put forward by the European Commission were frankly ludicrous and would have destroyed an innocent, ancient hobby and a large source of tourism revenue to the UK.

“These proposals were initially aimed at so-called recreational fishermen in southern Europe who often caught large hauls for sale, rather than a British hobby angler who might catch half-a-dozen fish.

“However, we welcome the commitment to review this decision and I hope British authorities will not adopt the usual overzealous manner of enforcement they are notorious for.”

However if a species is subject to an EU stock recovery plan, such as cod, then sea anglers catches of that species may be recorded in an effort to judge the possible effect on those fish by rod and line angling and also to help protect the species for the long term. Most sea anglers return the bulk of their fish, even cod, so it remains unclear as to whether fish returned alive to the sea will need to be recorded alongside fish taken for the table. One assumes not!

Angling Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd said: “It seems the bureaucrats in Brussels are intent on imposing unnecessary regulations and research on recreation anglers rather than taking urgent action to take on the real problem, which is the rape of our seas by vast factory ships.

“While thousands of tonnes of dead fish are dumped overboard, the sea bed is ploughed up by beam trawlers and fish stocks dwindle, the Commission wants to study the impact of anglers fishing with rod and line.”

While sea anglers agree to some extent with Mark Lloyd’s comments, more experienced sea anglers do feel that as a sport we should support in every way possible the recovery of any species that is in low number and under a stock recovery programme for the benefit of all in the future. But at the same time commercial fishing for the same species needs to be fully regulated and policed to ensure that the stocks do truly recover. This is not so easy to do!

My real concern is for the charter skippers from Grimsby north through the Northeast and up the east coast of Scotland. These lads rely on cod for the bulk of their fishing and they’ll be the ones hit hardest by having to record their catches.

How sea angler’s catches of such recovering fish stocks will be policed is another matter. One assumes that charter boats will be subject to sudden inspection both at sea and when landing at their home port. This is already done to some extent with the offshore RIB patrols looking for retained undersize fish, which is fully understood and agreed with by sensible sea anglers.

A few people look at this as a defeat for the proposed concession regarding the possible monitoring of endangered stocks, but its more relevant that anglers taking the trouble to write and e-mail their MP’s and MEP’s did result in the original article 47 being watered down to this more sensible option. If you look at it sensibly and logically then it’s a major victory for all anglers and should set precedence when some bureaucrat tries to interfere with something he knows nothing about in the future. What’s more this reaction from anglers was spawned within the individual, not through some angling representational organisation, which is a first for sea angling and proves just what we could do if we were, as a nation, an organised, fully representational sport!

The proposed amendment won’t please everyone, but then nothing ever does. What we don’t need are a small minority of skippers and anglers trying to cheat the system and paint us all in bad light at a time when the sea angler’s voice is being heard and more importantly listened to.

MUSSEL MAKES A COMEBACK
Although many of us have been aware since we were kids of the effectiveness for mussel as bait, and not just for cod, but for bass, flatfish, eels, dogfish, rockling, and even rays, apart from anglers in the Northeast and east Scotland, not that many of us regularly use it.

Inevitably laziness is a factor with few anglers having the motivation to get out and first collect the mussel, then spend the time skeening them. Thanks to the supermarkets, this is now changing.

Most main city and large town supermarkets are now stocking live mussel on their fish counters. You can buy a pound or two of fresh mussel cheaply over the counter on your way to the fishing venue! I’ve been surprised of late just how many anglers, both boat and shore, I’ve seen with live mussel bought from the supermarket.

You need to be aware though, that supermarket mussels for sale packed in poly-sealed trays means the mussels cannot breathe and will suffocate. Look carefully and you’ll see the mussel shells have started to open indicating a dead or dying mussel. Buy only the mussels sold in damp open mesh bags and look to see if the shells are fully closed. Even if a slightly open shell closes when you tap it, the mussel inside is on its last legs!

Live mussel is obviously effective straight out of the shell, but here’s a tip that works well, especially in really coloured seas. Skeen the mussel free of the shell and put all the loose mussel in to a clean screw lidded jar. Leave these in the fridge for at least 24-hours, 48-hours is better. This makes the juice in the mussel thicken slightly and makes the scent value greater. This slightly “off” mussel makes a great bait for cod, whiting, autumnal bass, big flounder and a host of other fish. Some of my biggest dabs have also come on mussel.

If you want to toughen mussel up, after a day drain off the excess juice and add three dessert spoons of salt to the jar. This reduces the moisture and toughens up the skin of the mussel without overly affecting its ability to catch fish, though I prefer the mussel steeping in its own juice for two days. Have fun!