East coast Bass?????????????where did they go?

I'm just playing Devil's advocate here Ashley, I genuinely don't know. However, please consider this. What if we focus most effort on creating a highly abundant sustainable stock of bass first, would the greater eco system not then benefit through the conservation of bass? I imagine it would be easier to start with one species. Just as there is a bye-catch of other species when certain species are targeted I imagine something similar happens when it's the other way around i.e. bye-protection/bye-conservation? Add to this the fact that if the powers that be were to see the huge benefits of bass as a sport fishing species would it not be much easier to make the same sell for other species further down the line?

As I said, it's just another perspective.

What do you think?

John D.

Sorry JD but a single species approach will not work with regard to marine rehabilitation.

The marine commercial catching sector practices a single species approach and we know where that has got us.

There is a view out there that Irish bass are unique to Ireland when they are quite obviously not exemplified by declining bass numbers around our coast during a period when we have exercised protection since 1990, 25 years ago. The downward graph can be traced to the mid 2000's when pair trawling of aggregating bass in the lower English channel picked up.

Creating protected environments to enable habitat regeneration is the starting block and that by its nature involves a multi species approach.

Besides and I keep coming back to this, bass are only majored on today because they appear more abundant due to the decline in numbers or disappearance of once plentiful species like cod and plaice, in principal they are the only gig in town for many sea anglers - it's called shifting baselines of perception - Hey, that's a good title for a Hawkwind album........

I think its great that people have ideas and concerns for the health of our fish stocks and oceans, but and the end of the day we need solutions and the powers that be NEED to take stock and make the proper decisions and quickly. Again pure frustration at how slow things happen and all the while the health of the Bass/sea/fish stocks in general is declining. I hear stories from older lads about the hearing catches of old all around the coast and i wounder will the humble mackerel go the same way. An over all approach to sea or just Bass conservation either way something had to be done soon.

Ok, good points.

Thanks Ashley,
John D.