Tuesday 22 January 2013

Catch up and sustainability rant!!

So 2013 has begun in a typical fashion, I tell myself every year that I'm going somewhere hot next winter here but here I am again cranking up the log burner to keep warm and reminiscing of fishy summer days gone by. I've been waiting on some scan results to determine how to fix my apparently dislocated spine so have not been able to commit to much fishing unfortunately. I had a few LRF sessions before Christmas but with run off from the rain the harbour wasn't rewarding me with much except for some pesky crabs that also seem to love those isomes!



This time last year I would have been bait collecting and trekking to Chesil. The thought has crossed my mind a few times but with my back the way it is I know a days beach casting will almost certainly result in a week of pain. So until things brighten up a bit all I can do is wait for that window of opportunity and hope I can get out with some lures in the next few weeks.

I have been wanting to write something about sustainability for sometime now and with my lack of real fishing over the past months it is always something I spend useless time dwelling on and not actually doing anything about. I guess that's the biggest problem in that it has become a worldwide issue and may now seem like an impossible to task to rectify the situation. Some countries that have already depleted their own stocks were warned of the dangers in advance. In some cases their response was to keep on taking in order to freeze everything at -50ยบ for the years to come. How this is allowed in our days of satellite technology is beyond me but as an angler I'm fully informed about the illicit side of fishing and in no doubt that the illegal activity that occurs daily on our doorsteps is no different and in many cases, much worse on the other side of the globe.

We have been emptying our oceans for over a century now to feed our demands. It seems that ignorance has taken control and the potential for a major disaster could be just around the corner if we don't start to shape up and at the very least spread the knowledge to those who are still in the dark as to what's OK to consume and what's really really not.
Like so much other stuff some people just don't care, others don't like thinking too hard in fear of ruining dinner time, but something has to change.


The Marine Conservation Society has just removed mackerel from its 'fish to eat ' list. If this doesn't ring alarm bells to those idiots in control of things I don't know what will. My first mackerel of the year  with home grown accompaniments has become my one of my favourite times of the year, signalling  the warmer weather and of course the abundance of species that the mackerel precedes.

If you don't already know, unlike other fish mackerel do not possess a swim bladder. (An internal buoyancy aid allowing the fish to rise and fall through the water without wasting too much energy) This means that from the start of their lives its a non stop race to feed, survive and reproduce successfully without ever stopping and if they do, they die. Their lack of anything really resembling scales also sets them apart from other species. Their skin being protected by oils which prevent them from infection is a delicate structure and any abrasion to this has been proved to result in the fishes death a few days later. Mackerel caught in nets causes them to collide with each other resulting in the dead fish being washed up days later. If you handle a mackerel and decide to be kind and return it, it will almost definitely die anyway.
Something as unique in life as this is surely a phenomenon worth saving right? So, what can you do??

  • Always buy fish that are caught as locally as possible and using sustainable methods such as hand-lines.
  • Try more sustainable alternatives such as sardines, herring or farmed rainbow trout
  • Stop eating fish for a month
  • If you haven't already stop eating tuna!! 
  • If you fish for them yourself only take what you need. They don't freeze well anyway and should be eaten fresh so limit yourself to one or 2 per person, per session. I know the feather chucker's will be there regardless but if that is your game try spinning instead


Personally I find it hard to buy fish from anywhere. The only time I consume it during the year is when I have been out and caught it myself. Even in my local fish monger I have become dubious of the freshness (some is obviously frozen) and more importantly of its origin. With so much illegal fishing being done in our waters it always begs the question, where does it end up. Having bared witness to illegal vans being loaded to the brim with sea bass and mullet, I know that this fish is never hard to get rid of, be it at market, restaurant or a dodgy fish monger. I'm not saying that everyone involved in these businesses is guilty and would hope that it is a minority but its being taken on a daily basis and its obvious where it is ending up. If you are buying fish in  a shop or a restaurant, always ask as to its origin. You might be fed a load of crap but never know when you might stir a conscience.

I will close on that note.. I've just realised again that my favourite species of fish is under threat!! I was shocked to see it in the news today although I shouldn't be surprised.  Just another problem in the world for some but for me its another warning that we are changing our environment to its detriment. Its down to us to realise and take action.

http://www.mcsuk.org/

I will leave this post open to edit as I will add more info at a later date. If you would like to add any comments or links please mail me at golightershorefishing@gmail.com