2013 Specimen Fish Report

The report is available for download:

http://irish-trophy-fish.com/wp-content ... h-2013.pdf

Two fish records broken in 2013

Irish Specimen Fish Committee report 2013 issued today

A new record Roach/Bream Hybrid from Monalty Lake in Co. Monaghan and a new record Gilthead Bream from Dingle in Co. Kerry dominate the record fish list just published.
It was a very good year for anglers with large numbers of specimen-sized fish caught and two new records established. High water temperatures during the summer was very good news for many sea anglers with some of Ireland’s more exotic species like gilthead bream and golden grey mullet prominent in the overall specimen fish listings. Specimen smooth-hound and spurdog were also plentiful.
The two new Records are -
NEW RECORD Gilthead Bream
3.505 kg, Dingle, Co. Kerry, 17th August 2013 –Jeremy Coleman (UK)

NEW RECORD Roach/BreamHybrid
3.376 kg, Monalty Lake, Co. Monaghan, 3rd May2013 –Jason Dingle
A total of 595 specimens were ratified in 2013. The Lee Reservoirs in Cork feature heavily in the freshwater fish listings with Bream, Rudd and various hybrids taken there over the year. Species such as Thick-Lipped Mullet and Flounder from many different parts of the country were prominent in catches of specimen sea fish. Anglers both at home and abroad will be reading the report carefully to plan their angling trips to catch the big fish in Ireland in 2014.
Other important developments on the specimen fish front:
• ISFC Awards Day is being held on 15th February in Dublin
• Tope, Spurdog and Smooth-hound can be claimed as length-based specimens from 2014 onwards
• Dutch anglers continue to dominate the specimen fish listings for overseas anglers
The report will is available on the ISFC website http://www.irish-trophy-fish.com
Invitations to the ISFC Awards Day will be issued to anglers from Ireland next week. If any angler plans to attend please email Shane.OReilly@fisheriesireland.ie as soon as possible. Overseas anglers are also very welcome to attend also. Certificates etc will be posted to anglers who cannot attend and it is hoped to present anglers in the Netherlands with their awards at the VISMA 2014 angling show in Rotterdam.
Hard copies of the report will be available free of charge from Inland Fisheries Ireland offices in Swords, Dublin next week. For further information contact William Roche, ISFC Sec at 01-8842600.

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thanks for posting jim,i look forward to the the a report every year,but one thing that does get to me is the ammount of spur dogfish on it year after year,surely the specimen commitee can see that they need to up the size on these fish,
on another note,the ammount of bass on it is the worse iv seen in a longtime

good to see hounds and spurs along with the tope going on measurment based claims.

good to see hounds and spurs along with the tope going on measurment based claims.

About time, as every specimen spurdog is a pregnant female.

I couldnt see any plaice,turbot,brill or other clean ground species on the list,just serves to illustrate the hammering that these species have taken.

I couldnt see any plaice,turbot,brill or other clean ground species on the list,just serves to illustrate the hammering that these species have taken.

I think you are correct there Brian. It is not just clean ground...think wrecks as well...The report is scary in some respects....
1 Conger - You would always expect more.
1 Ling
2 Pollack
1 haddock
1 Whiting
No Cod
No Coalfish
No Thornback Ray
No Blonde Ray
It has been a very long time since Turbot or Brill featured.

I couldnt see any plaice,turbot,brill or other clean ground species on the list,just serves to illustrate the hammering that these species have taken.

I think you are correct there Brian. It is not just clean ground...think wrecks as well...The report is scary in some respects....
1 Conger - You would always expect more.
1 Ling
2 Pollack
1 haddock
1 Whiting
No Cod
No Coalfish
No Thornback Ray
No Blonde Ray
It has been a very long time since Turbot or Brill featured.

I wonder how many of these species were caught but not recorded because the angler didn't bother going to the trouble and expense of getting their scales certified.

I couldnt see any plaice,turbot,brill or other clean ground species on the list,just serves to illustrate the hammering that these species have taken.

I think you are correct there Brian. It is not just clean ground...think wrecks as well...The report is scary in some respects....
1 Conger - You would always expect more.
1 Ling
2 Pollack
1 haddock
1 Whiting
No Cod
No Coalfish
No Thornback Ray
No Blonde Ray
It has been a very long time since Turbot or Brill featured.

I wonder how many of these species were caught but not recorded because the angler didn't bother going to the trouble and expense of getting their scales certified.

you took the words out of my mouth donal i think you hit the nail on the head, i for one wont be going to the trouble and paying for mine to be certified, i have caught a few specimens over the last couple of years that i didnt claim because of this.

I couldnt see any plaice,turbot,brill or other clean ground species on the list,just serves to illustrate the hammering that these species have taken.

I think you are correct there Brian. It is not just clean ground...think wrecks as well...The report is scary in some respects....
1 Conger - You would always expect more.
1 Ling
2 Pollack
1 haddock
1 Whiting
No Cod
No Coalfish
No Thornback Ray
No Blonde Ray
It has been a very long time since Turbot or Brill featured.

I wonder how many of these species were caught but not recorded because the angler didn't bother going to the trouble and expense of getting their scales certified.

you took the words out of my mouth donal i think you hit the nail on the head, i for one wont be going to the trouble and paying for mine to be certified, i have caught a few specimens over the last couple of years that i didnt claim because of this.

I would think that is a huge factor and not a true reflection what really has been caught.

hi,
I personally feel its a bit like the climate warming debate, here we are seeing weather records smashed every year with the cry, oh its just the normal variation our weather is going through,there's no proof its down to global warming.
Yes, the scales debacle has had an effect, I for one didnt jump through the hoops to get it done last year, I was fortunate that someone had a registered set when i picked up my Haddock.
I think we are witnessing the demise of certain "sustainable " ( to quote that awful term") species. The lings is a classic example of whats happening with regard to pollock. Now they are "sustainable" and that "line caught "increases the price they have been hammered, and subsequently difficult to find now not to mention getting a speci.
I am not even going to start the "them" and "us" debate, a waste of everyones time, but to quote a well known monty python phrase, " Its happening Reg, its really Happening" we are now seeing that first hand, like the frequent storms
How long left before we lament the "Good old Days"!!, mind you if the the global warming brigade are right, we may be able to fish in our gardens soon!!!!
First bass out of your bedroom window Jim!!?
regards
screeming

thanks for posting jim,i look forward to the the a report every year,but one thing that does get to me is the ammount of spur dogfish on it year after year,surely the specimen commitee can see that they need to up the size on these fish,
on another note,the ammount of Bass on it is the worse iv seen in a longtime

this issue has raised all sorts of merry hell up here in the north regarding the spurdogs.
there are lots of concerned anglers crying out for the specimen size to stay as it is. there is one boat that most of the claims are coming in from that is confusing the reality of whats being caught. i'll say no more than this. just look at the lengths of the spurs, then the weights. then look at the bottom of the list from other boats and compare them to that. I mean you have 2 spurs 105cm long but 9lb in weight difference between the two. need you say more
i'll just leave it at that and you can draw your own conclusions

I think the length based species will appeal to more for the specimens,as some do not want to kill for the sake of a cert,each to their own,also the genetic finger printing for the shad is a great idea,the scales debate I think had a major affect this year,and what will the state rod licence effect be next year,eddie..........

Take the issue re cost of scales out, there does seem to be far less accounts of large spec size fish caught at sea. Personally I think that there are just less around. I welcome any move that facilitates the return of spec fish. Would love to see blue shark and common skate included on the conservation spec list.

Does anyone know any of the specimen fish committee?? It would be nice to get some clarity on the Shad weights for 2014.

It was my understanding that the Twite / Allis Shad is now a combined specimen award

SHAD HYBRIDS
Considerable numbers of hybrid shad, which were identified by genetic analysis, have been taken by
anglers in recent years. The Committee decided to add this Allis/Twaite hybrid to the listing of
eligible fish in 2012 because of the numbers of claims being submitted. Fish taken in 2011 onwards
were ratified this year. No hybrids were identified in 2012. Following a review no statistically signifi -
cant difference in mean weight of specimens was determined between Twaite and the Hybrid Shad.
Consequently the Committee has decided to set the qualifying weight at 1.2kg for the Hybrid also.

Previous to 2012 Twaite Shad had a specimen weight of 1.1kg
Now the real kick is that in the 2013 book Twaite Shad are listed as 1.1kg and there was an award for a 1.16kg fish. I returned a 1.19kg, 1.16kg & 1.14kg fish last year. This after paying €50 quid for scales certification.

Could someone put a call in to clear up this confusion?

Does anyone know any of the specimen fish committee?? It would be nice to get some clarity on the Shad weights for 2014.

It was my understanding that the Twite / Allis Shad is now a combined specimen award

SHAD HYBRIDS
Considerable numbers of hybrid shad, which were identified by genetic analysis, have been taken by
anglers in recent years. The Committee decided to add this Allis/Twaite hybrid to the listing of
eligible fish in 2012 because of the numbers of claims being submitted. Fish taken in 2011 onwards
were ratified this year. No hybrids were identified in 2012. Following a review no statistically signifi -
cant difference in mean weight of specimens was determined between Twaite and the Hybrid Shad.
Consequently the Committee has decided to set the qualifying weight at 1.2kg for the Hybrid also.

Previous to 2012 Twaite Shad had a specimen weight of 1.1kg
Now the real kick is that in the 2013 book Twaite Shad are listed as 1.1kg and there was an award for a 1.16kg fish. I returned a 1.19kg, 1.16kg & 1.14kg fish last year. This after paying €50 quid for scales certification.

Could someone put a call in to clear up this confusion?

I have made contact....

Just returning to this one....
I appreciate that some anglers would not have gotten their scales certified due to the charges being levied etc.
However I would reckon that it would be minimal in its impact on the overall scheme of things.
Speaking with charter skippers from around the south coast the consensus is that many of our "staple" species are struggling to get to specimen size....

Righto Kevin.... It would appear that that was a "typo" in that section of the report.The specimen size is 1.1kg and has been for a good while now.
I notice that the specimen list in that report (2012) shows the shad as 1.1kg as well...

The list is the list...

(Covers head and runs away.... )

wow... The 2012 book as quoted above, states that the size was going to 1.2. Myself (and plenty of others) were returning a lot of fish over 1.1kg but under 1.2kg, so I don't think I was the only person this effected.. My 1.19 was whitnessed (Marty) and done on my certified scales, so I will pop it in for next year anyway. The other 2 were release immediatly for being too small. At least it's resolved for this year. Sure it's not the end of the world... I would have preferred a wrasse... Going mad to get a good one for a few years now.

Thanks Jim!

As we are getting closer to the Shad season, I have had a few emails with the specimen fish team and the Specimen weight for Shad for 2014 is confirmed as 1.2kg and is listed as such on "the list" on their web site. Please pass this info onto anyone you see on the bank at St Mullins.

Kevin