It is not my intention to attack or discredit our authorities through the pages of the JEP, however I would like to correct a few misconceptions.
Firstly the zero-bag-limit restriction on recreational fishermen is not an EU regulation, nor was it something proposed or condoned by the Jersey Fishermen’s Association. In truth the notion behind the measure came from certain angling representatives and one or two vociferous recreational elements in Jersey. Bearing in mind that a growing number of fishermen already voluntarily practise ‘catch and release’, a bag limit of perhaps two fish per person would have achieved just as much, without the department or minister losing the respect of the public.
For the part of the professional sector, to have to accept measures in isolation from the UK, Guernsey, France and the rest of Europe, on what we know is a highly migratory stock, is both frustrating and pointless. It deprives our fishermen of the right to make a legitimate living and has had the effect of depriving our local market and restaurants of not only local bass, but other species, such as bream, that are fished along with bass. We call it ‘law of unintended consequences’ which is invariably invoked by poorly-thought-out, knee-jerk reactions aimed at conservation.
So some facts. Scientific research institute ICES advise that the stock is not in good shape, however a look at their data source reveals that it is based mainly on landing records and not on sampling at sea, normally used to determine stocks like Channel sole and North Sea cod. To compound the issue, the EU have used an unrealistically short, arbitrary date of 2020, to bring the stock up to MSY (maximum sustainable yield) thereby creating a man-made crisis.
For those who follow with interest, the life cycle and ever-changing trends in fish stocks, it was always clear that ‘recruitment’ of sizeable bass in 2016/2017 would be poor, given that there was a weak year-class caused by adverse spawning conditions around five to six years ago. I have experienced the same fluctuations, which incidentally have little to do with fishing pressure, on a multitude of fish species throughout my career.
To counter the weak year-class problem and to benefit the bass stock in general, it was agreed in 2015/2016 by professionals and fisheries managers that a minimum landing size rise, from 36 cm to 42 cm, along with a ban on pelagic pair trawling in the winter spawning season would give positive results. This coupled to a fair-bag limit to reduce the recreational catch would, in my view, have gone a long way toward preservation of the stock without killing the fishermen to get there.
I am sure we all have the same aim – more bass in the sea – but I truly believe we need an urgent review of the decisions taken for the Island of Jersey.
