Worrying trends?

Cod aside, which we are all aware are scarcer this year than previous years has anyone else noticed the major decline in Dogfish and Coalfish in their areas? Fishing beaches and other marks around Cork at the rate of 2 or 3 sessions a week and I have the grand total of 2 coalies and 0 doggies this autumn. This is fishing marks where both these species have reached plague proportions in the past. Now, its been a good year for Bass, flounder have been plentiful and the place is alive with whiting (apart from our ill advised comp venue on Sat that is) but where the hell are the dogs and coalies? Any thoughts anyone?

hi man,most small/medium sized trawlers are landing dogs this year to "errigal ltd" as bait for whelk pots.because of the scarcity of everything else this year,including prawns,boats are even targetting dogs and making a quick tow over known grounds.Errigal pay about 38cents per kilo or 16euro per fishbox and most of these boats land anything from 100-1000kilos daily.Thankfully
this fishery will close at christmas.

The lack of dogfish this year in Wexford was very noticeable.

have to agree with capt ahab, have watched boats land loads of doggies, which they use as baits for the crab/lobster pots,especially in old head, and the doggies are just not there now!

The latest version of the Marine Stock Book is available. It provides information about current stock levels for the various ICES zones:

http://www.marine.ie/home/publicationsd ... tock+Book/

I think I remember reading that dogfish stocks were increasing in the Irish Sea.

The seperate stock book for inshore species won't be available until the Spring.

I have noticed abig drop in coalfish as by this time of year I would caught hunderds but I have only caught 1 and no doggies since september

Have to agree, very few coalfish compared to usual.

Yep. Its been at least september since I caught a doggie. Before that they would have been a banker each session.
Seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. Very worrying how a seemingly plentiful stock can be decimated like that in months. Or maybe all those schoolies ran them outta town...

was plagued by dogs a few weeks ago on one session so i'm not sure about them bein scarce in west waterford. The coalies have been a lot more scarce than other years alright.

hi man,most small/medium sized trawlers are landing dogs this year to "errigal ltd" as bait for whelk pots.because of the scarcity of everything else this year,including prawns,boats are even targetting dogs and making a quick tow over known grounds.Errigal pay about 38cents per kilo or 16euro per fishbox and most of these boats land anything from 100-1000kilos daily.Thankfully
this fishery will close at christmas.
.

does anyone think there could be a link between the decline in dogs and the explosion of pin whiting???

there isnt really an explosion of whiting, from what i can remember they've always been there,

it has been noticeable for me east and west the drop of doggies and lack of coalies

i can only comment on the areas i have fished lately particularly Donegal bay but most fish seem in short supply compared to last year. my theory in this area is when fuel prices were high in the summer i saw so many more trawlers working the bay very close in.
we are know seeing the results on resident population now the summer visitors have left . If this has happened elsewhere could be part of the reason.

dropped into dingle pier during the summer after a bad day looking for mackeral to see if the trawlers had a few spare.
no mackeral but boxes and boxes of dogs to be used in the pots.on account of their tough skin it takes longer for dogs to be eaten out of the pots thus attracting more into the pots.
fenit pier used be practially unishable due to the numbers of dogs specially after dark our last comp on the pier yielded one solitary doggie