Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

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Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Wed Dec 16, 2015 10:03 am

The following are what we know to date:

Catch and Release all areas for 6 months 2016 - Jan -Jun
1 fish bag limit Jul - Dec
Minimum size 42cm

These are EU wide measures (Not just Ireland)


Hopefully this will supercede our current closed season...
A slot size would have been better :)

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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby shortcircuit » Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:21 am

Thanks Jim- do you know if regulations for commercial fishing outside of Ireland has changed ?
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby beachcomber » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:18 pm

Can anyone clarify is it C&R for all of 2016 or Jan to June with 1 bass in a day for the remainder?
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:47 pm

I have not seen a final document yet so no confirmation of the commercial situ.
It looks like trawling is banned for first six months. (I would guess that is pelagic trawling)
It would appear that there were some concessions to smaller operators in the UK, FR & NL, these are perceived to be heavily reliant on bass and more sustainable.
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:50 pm

beachcomber wrote:Can anyone clarify is it C&R for all of 2016 or Jan to June with 1 bass in a day for the remainder?


It is catch and release Jan to June with 1 a day for the remainder.
It is not clear how this sits with the "closed season" - As such the law says we are closed May 15 - Jun 15 - That is still the law of the land.
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JohnQ » Wed Dec 16, 2015 3:07 pm

While the vast majority of Irish bass anglers welcome the new restrictions, it appears that UK and European bass anglers will be returning bass while commercial fishermen can still line fish and worse still gill net them! 1.3 tonnes per month won't be much of a restriction for the vast majority of commercials. Thankfully we don't have to cope with this here.

Taken from the Facebook page of “Low Impact Fishers Of Europe”

“Sigh of relief for the small-scale bass fishers!

After long discussions, the Council of the EU decided that, given that the liners and netters are highly dependent on bass, the 6 months closure recommended by the Commission is reduced to 2 months (february and march) for them, with a limit 1.3 tonnes per month outside the period of closure. The other metiers will have a limit of 1 tonne per month.

Happy to hear the Council recognized the special case and needs of the small-scale fleet!"
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby shortcircuit » Wed Dec 16, 2015 4:14 pm

Thankfully we don't have worry about the (legal) commercials here. Unfortunately our netsmen have no closed season or quotas.

You would be fairly sickened if you were a UK angler - ever tighter controls on RSA for bass while the commercials carry on regardless.

In general though, great news for us, I was getting heart failure at the thought of not being able to cast a lure until 1st july

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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Wed Dec 16, 2015 5:25 pm

JohnQ wrote:While the vast majority of Irish bass anglers welcome the new restrictions, it appears that UK and European bass anglers will be returning bass while commercial fishermen can still line fish and worse still gill net them! 1.3 tonnes per month won't be much of a restriction for the vast majority of commercials. Thankfully we don't have to cope with this here.

Taken from the Facebook page of “Low Impact Fishers Of Europe”

“Sigh of relief for the small-scale bass fishers!

After long discussions, the Council of the EU decided that, given that the liners and netters are highly dependent on bass, the 6 months closure recommended by the Commission is reduced to 2 months (february and march) for them, with a limit 1.3 tonnes per month outside the period of closure. The other metiers will have a limit of 1 tonne per month.

Happy to hear the Council recognized the special case and needs of the small-scale fleet!"



Indeed I'd be fair cranky if I was based on the South Coast UK. It looks that recreational anglers are taking proportionally way more pain than the inshore commercials. That does not seem fair. A ban in Feb-Mar? It would be the quietest time for bass down this way... I'd say the illegal netters wouldn't even be bothered :)
I reckon that if regulations are not perceived to be fair then they will be ignored in many cases.

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Big news for bass

Postby krisreid » Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:24 pm

No taking bass between Jan and June. Only one per fisherman June / December.

Edit: Merged with this topic - same subject.



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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Thu Dec 17, 2015 10:06 am

It is interesting to see the anglers across the pond realising that while bass conservation is important, it looks like angers have taken a disproportionate shafting.

Across social media you can sense the anger starting to come out. It is interesting to see that we have not had any actual confirmation from the EU on the measures.

I don't keep bass myself as a rule and of course we do not have a commercial bass fishery... But imagine the scenario - fishing for Cod in January. Having to release them due to C&R while a commercial on the same drift is lobbing them into his fish box.... and probably laughing at me all the while! Not pretty and hard to see how conservation is at work here!

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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JohnQ » Thu Dec 17, 2015 3:22 pm

For those of you that are interested in how the new bass regulations are viewed in the UK, I have copied the following from an Angling Trust press release. Do remember that our own Minister Coveney also signed off on these regulations and that these grossly one sided measures could see bass angling closed in Ireland in the future also!

Nigel Horsman of BASS added:

"Once again, our politicians have ignored the scientific advice, ignored the economic facts, thought only about the short term and given in to the bullying tactics of the commercial fishing sector, shafting the future bass fishing prospects of hundreds of thousands of sea anglers in the process. The rapid decline in bass stocks will continue under this deal, giving a real risk that the whole bass fishery for everyone will have to be shut in the next year or two, just as we warned the Minister directly last week. A major plank in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy was to take politically motivated, short term dealing out of fishery management and replace it with long term decision making based on ecological, economic and social evidence. Our politicians have just driven a coach and horses through their own new rules, proving again, that they are not to be trusted with anything to do with fishery management. Sea anglers are justifiably furious with this outcome for not only threatening their future sport, but also for the blatant disregard for any fairness or justice in allocating these "fishing opportunities" between anglers and commercial fishermen. This is a shameful result."


Long standing bass campaigner and Angling Trust Ambassador Malcolm Gilbert said:

"The recreational sea angling sector has been well and truly screwed over by the politicians. This year, we have had a bag limit of 3 bass. In 2016, whereas, gill netters can now fish during four of the first six months and retain/land up to 1300 kilos in each of those months, recreational anglers have a zero bag limit. For the second half of the year, again whilst gill netters can retain/land 1300 kilos each month, recreational sea anglers are subject to a one bass bag limit. [Defra must have told the Minister that in 2014 only 111vessels out of 1,331 in the UK managed to catch 1000 kilos of bass in a month, so the vast majority were unaffected by such a limit, yet the Minister has seen fit to increase the limit to 1300 kilos for gill netters, effectively dismissing the scientific advice with similar contempt with which he has treated the recreational sea angling community.]

This debacle is not only grossly unfair to recreational sea anglers but even more importantly, the bass resource itself is going to be subjected to far higher levels of fishing mortality than the scientists recommend. In the long term it is a catastrophic outcome for all of us who crave restoration of bass stocks with truly sustainable long term exploitation."
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:27 pm

Fishing Ministers accused of ‘shameful conservation con trick’ over bass stocks
Posted on 17 December 2015 by Bass.Blogging.Team
BASS and Angling Trust Statement

Organisations representing Britain’s 800,000 sea anglers have reacted furiously to the news that EU Fisheries Ministers, including the UK’s George Eustice, have caved into pressure from commercial fishing interests and granted exemptions to the highly damaging bass gill net fishery. This sector, described by Eustice as ‘low impact’ is actually responsible for by far the greatest over-fishing of threatened bass stocks in the UK. It will now only be closed for two months of the year rather than six as was planned in the proposed European moratorium on commercial bass fishing during the spawning period. For the UK alone, this represents an increase in gill net landings of 131 tonnes compared with the scientists’ recommendation of a maximum of 541 tonnes of landings in 2016 for the entire Northern bass stock. Furthermore the gill net monthly catch limit per vessel has been raised from 1.0 to 1.3 tonnes, making a nonsense of claims to be conserving bass stocks in line with the evidence and best scientific advice.

At the same time, the £200 million recreational bass sector will see a zero bag limit in the first 6 months and in the second half of the year the bag limit for anglers will be reduced from three fish a day to just one. Whilst anglers were pleased to have retained catch and release fishing for bass during the first half of the year, they claim that the overall package has unfairly targeted the one activity that is most sustainable and creates the greatest economic benefit, in favour of allowing what is virtually ‘business as usual’ for the netters. Prior to this week’s Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels to consider the Commission’s proposals, both the Angling Trust and the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society (BASS) lobbied George Eustice to retain Catch and Release angling from January to June, to remove the gill nets and make bass a hook and line fishery only.

The only UK commercial sectors that look like seeing any significant reduction in catches are the trawlers and seiners which account for only 15% of all UK bass landing, whereas gill netting is responsible for over half of total UK bass catches each year and so should be the major target of these restrictions.

The figures recommended by the scientists at ICES in order to rebuild European bass stocks were for an 80% reduction in landings in 2015 and a 90% reduction in 2016 down to 541 tonnes in total. By watering down the Commission’s proposals, through an increase in the monthly vessel catch limits for both line fishing and gill netting and restricting their closure period to just February and March, the impact is now likely to deliver a little more than a 20% reduction in mortalities. By contrast anglers will be expected to return every bass they catch from January to June and then see their bag limit for the remaining six months slashed by 66%.

Angling Trust Campaigns Chief Martin Salter said:

“This is nothing more than a conservation con trick by politicians who have ignored the science and capitulated to commercial pressure from the very sector that has caused the decline of bass stocks in the first place. Anglers are supposed to feel grateful for being allowed to return our bass to the sea during the first half of 2016, whilst for four months of that period gill netters will actually see their catch limits increased. And how gill netting, which is responsible for more than half of all commercial UK bass landings and catches two and a half times more than any other method, can be labelled ‘low impact’ simply beggars belief.

For George Eustice to describe what has been agreed as ‘a good result’ for bass whilst at the same time claiming on TV that his local netsmen will be virtually unaffected by ‘this generous exemption’ is downright disingenuous and deeply insulting to Britain’s anglers and anyone else who cares about sustainable fish stocks.”

Nigel Horsman of BASS added:

“Once again, our politicians have ignored the scientific advice, ignored the economic facts, thought only about the short term and given in to the bullying tactics of the commercial fishing sector, shafting the future bass fishing prospects of hundreds of thousands of sea anglers in the process. The rapid decline in bass stocks will continue under this deal, giving a real risk that the whole bass fishery for everyone will have to be shut in the next year or two, just as we warned the Minister directly last week. A major plank in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy was to take politically motivated, short term dealing out of fishery management and replace it with long term decision making based on ecological, economic and social evidence. Our politicians have just driven a coach and horses through their own new rules, proving again, that they are not to be trusted with anything to do with fishery management. Sea anglers are justifiably furious with this outcome for not only threatening their future sport, but also for the blatant disregard for any fairness or justice in allocating these “fishing opportunities” between anglers and commercial fishermen. This is a shameful result.”

Long standing bass campaigner and Angling Trust Ambassador Malcolm Gilbert said:

“The recreational sea angling sector has been well and truly screwed over by the politicians. This year, we have had a bag limit of 3 bass. In 2016, whereas, gill netters can now fish during four of the first six months and retain/land up to 1300 kilos in each of those months, recreational anglers have a zero bag limit. For the second half of the year, again whilst gill netters can retain/land 1300 kilos each month, recreational sea anglers are subject to a one bass bag limit. [Defra must have told the Minister that in 2014 only 111 vessels out of 1,331 in the UK managed to catch 1000 kilos of bass in a month, so the vast majority were unaffected by such a limit, yet the Minister has seen fit to increase the limit to 1300 kilos for gill netters, effectively dismissing the scientific advice with similar contempt with which he has treated the recreational sea angling community.

This debacle is not only grossly unfair to recreational sea anglers but even more importantly, the bass resource itself is going to be subjected to far higher levels of fishing mortality than the scientists recommend. In the long term it is a catastrophic outcome for all of us who crave restoration of bass stocks with truly sustainable long term exploitation.”

The Angling Trust will now be briefing MPs on the consequences of these latest decisions on bass and is hoping to see a debate in the Commons in order to hold the minister to account for this failure to deliver meaningful conservation measures and some of the extraordinary claims that he has made in defence of unsustainable fishing methods.


http://www.ukbass.com/fishing-ministers ... ss-stocks/
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby salar » Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:14 pm

That is sad Jim - but is more or less par for the course as to how fisheries have been politically managed for decades.

The demand for Bass and their rapid decline instigated (certainly unintentionally) by celebrity chefs and the current mania surrounding all things pertaining to saucepans, woks and frying pans could be quickly reversed if 'National Treasures' like Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein et al could be persuaded to join in a campaign to defend the BASS.

The power of mass tv is quite extraordinary and these individuals can achieve things and destroy the bass market with an ease that political dictators can only dream about.

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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Tue Dec 22, 2015 6:48 pm

It would appear that this is the final text on the 2016 Emergency Measures.


From: General Secretariat of the Council
To: Delegations No. Cion doc.: 13765/1/15 REV 1 + ADD 1-2 - COM(2015) 559 final + Annexes Subject:
Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION fixing for 2016 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters
(note: only Article 10 copied here)
Article 10
Measures on Sea bass fisheries
1. It shall be prohibited for Union vessels to fish for sea bass in ICES divisions VIIb, VIIc, VIIj and VIIk, as well as in the waters of ICES divisions VIIa and VIIg that are more than 12 nautical miles from the baseline under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom. It shall be prohibited for Union vessels to retain on board, tranship, relocate or land sea bass caught in that area.
2. From 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016, it shall be prohibited to Union vessels to fish for sea bass in ICES divisions IVb, IVc, VIIa and from VIId to VIIh, and to retain on board, relocate, tranship or land sea bass caught in that area. However, a Union vessel deploying demersal trawls and seines[1] shall be permitted to retain on board catches of sea bass that are not more than 1% of the weight of the total catches of marine organisms on board.
By derogation from the first subparagraph, in January 2016 and from 1 April to 30 June 2016, Union vessels using hooks and lines, and fixed gillnets[2] may fish for sea bass in ICES divisions IVb, IVc, VIIa and from VIId to VIIh, and to retain on board, relocate, tranship or land sea bass caught in that area not exceeding 1 300 kilograms per any vessel per month.
3. From 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016 it shall be prohibited for Union vessels using hooks, lines and fixed gillnets to fish for sea bass in quantities exceeding 1 300 kilograms per any vessel per month and for Union vessels using other gears to fish for sea bass in quantities exceeding 1 000 kilograms per any vessel per month in the following areas:
(a) ICES divisions IVb, IVc, VIId, VIIe VIIf and VIIh;
(b) waters within 12 nautical miles from baseline under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom in ICES divisions VIIa and VIIg.
During that period, it shall also be prohibited for Union vessels to retain on board, relocate, tranship or land quantities of sea bass exceeding the quantities set in the first subparagraph caught in those areas.
The catch limits set in this paragraph shall not be transferable from one month to another or between vessels. Member States shall report to the Commission catches of sea bass per type of gear not later than 20 days after the end of each month.
4. From 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016 in recreational fisheries in ICES divisions IVb, IVc, VIIa and from VIId to VIIh, only catch-and-release fishing for sea bass, including from shore, shall be allowed. During this period, it shall be prohibited to retain on board, relocate, tranship or land sea bass caught in that area.
5. In recreational fisheries, including from shore, not more than one specimen of sea bass may be retained per fisherman per day during the following periods and in the following areas:
(a) from 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016 in ICES divisions IVb, IVc, VIIa and from VIId to VIIh;
(b) from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 in ICES divisions VIIj and VIIk.
[1] All types of demersal trawls including Danish/Scottish seines, including OTB, OTT, PTB, TBB, SSC, SDN, SPR, SV, SB, SX, TBN, TBS, TB.
[2] All long lines or pole and line or rod and line fisheries, including LHP, LHM, LLD, LL, LTL, LX and LLS, all fixed gillnets and traps, including GTR, GNS, FYK, FPN and FIX.
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby Kalim77 » Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:28 am

To Jim,
So does that mean in Kerry you can catch 1 bass a day all year,?
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby JimC » Sun Dec 27, 2015 5:09 pm

Kalim77 wrote:To Jim,
So does that mean in Kerry you can catch 1 bass a day all year,?


It does indeed!
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby gannet » Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:09 pm

Kalim77 wrote:To Jim,
So does that mean in Kerry you can catch 1 bass a day all year,?


And in Area VIa 1 bass a day in Donegal and 3 bass a day in Antrim and Londonderry? :?
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby Kalim77 » Mon Dec 28, 2015 10:19 am

That's great for those who live and fish in Kerry, from what I make out is all recreational fishing is allowed?
I go spinning for bass, but I also go spearfishing as well. And as you can imagine catch and release doesn't work to well for spearfishing.
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby gannet » Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:05 pm

Kalim77, looks like you can spin and spear from West Cork to Donegal, Ices divisions V11J,V11b and V1a
Maybe you can keep 2 bass per day in V11b and V1a as these areas are not affected by the emergency measures.
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Re: Bass - Emergency Measures 2016

Postby coamlaja » Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:54 am

3 bass a day antrim and Londonderry good luck with 3 a year
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