BASS fishermen in Carmarthenshire have been restricted to how many fish they can land on the county’s beaches as new commercial and recreational fishing restrictions for Bass came into force on January 29.
The European Union has published the annual regulations allocating total allowable catch and quotas (T&Q) to member states.
“Throughout 2015 the European Commission has been working with member states and their scientific advisors on a range of measures to reduce bass fishing mortality. However, stocks are continuing to decline and further measures have been put in place to protect bass. In 2016 additional restrictions were implemented on both commercial and recreational fishermen, and those restrictions are contained in the new TACs and Quotas Regulation. They are as follows:
For recreational fisheries (including fishing from the shore).
In ICES Areas IVb, IVc, VIIa, VIId, VIIe, VIIf, VIIg, VIIh.
Cefn Sidan and Carmarthen Bay are in areas Vllf and Vllg.
From 1 January to 30 June 2016 catch and release ONLY permitted.
From 1 July to 31 December 2016 one bass per fisherman per day.
In ICES areas VIIj and VIIk.
From January 1 to December 31 ONE bass per fisherman per day
UKIP have been prominent in opposing the new regulations and what they say are decisions and laws made by bureaucrats in Brussels.
Llanelli UKIP candidate Ken Rees said, “How on Earth can the local fishermen survive when rules like this are passed? How Will they police this?
“We will have a situation whereby a local fisherman innocently lands some bass on a local beach only to be pounced on by the Marine Management Organisation, taken through the courts and fined. I am sure most local fishermen are unaware that these rules have already come into effect.”
A visit to the Harbour Master’s office highlighted another issue, one which is familiar to those fishermen who worked under the old sizerestricted quota system for landing whitefish catches.
We were told: “We will not be policing it and it is hard to see how it can be policed. If local fishermen are out for 8 hours and they catch bass, they will keep the best one or two be forced to throw the rest of the dead ones back.”
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