Out with the old and in with the new…
Club news: A new shore angling club called Grimsby SAC has been formed, and there are several well known names in the committee. Opposition to some Humber SAC policies was the catalyst for change. The club is to run roving, biggest fish matches throughout the winter. Fixed boundaries will apply and no white ragworm or crab will be allowed. Summer matches will be a measure-to-weight conversion with an 18cm limit. A straight measure and release policy will apply where smooth hounds count. Application for club memberships can be found online at grimsbysac@live.co.uk
All members will be required to have personal insurance.
Shore results: Mick Kinnaird won last weekend’s Humber SAC match with 2 codling for 2lb 6oz. Adie Cooper was second with one codling for 1lb 12oz, while Steve Robinson in third had 1 codling for 1lb 10oz. Nigel Crabtree had the biggest flatfish, a flounder of 12oz. The club’s next match is on the 11th January, meeting at Tioxide Pavilion from 2.30pm. Fishing times are 3.45 to 7.45pm.
Shore fixtures: The following Saturday the 17th it is on the Woods and fishing times are 7pm to 11pm. I understand that the AGM is on the 21st January and it will be at Tioxide Pavilion. Also the problem of getting the full match results has now been resolved and these will be now featured in length each week.
Boats: HCA are hoping to get out this week for the scheduled league match, but the weather looks ropey again. Some boats did well last weekend, while others strugggled. It’s hoped that cathces might increase with the recent cold snap.
Politics:Â Sea anglers have been rallying government to impose a 1-mile commercial fishing ban. This is the rather lame official response…
“The Government does not believe that a blanket ban on commercial fishing activity within one nautical mile of the shore is justified. The inshore zone is important to a number of small scale commercial fishing operators and displacement of their activities could have a number of consequences. Where circumstances require restrictions to be placed on commercial fishing activities, however, the Government and Sea Fisheries Committees (who have responsibilities for inshore fisheries management) can use the range of powers available to them to legislate both for fisheries conservation purposes and for the protection of the marine environment from fishing activities. These powers have been used to restrict commercial fishing through, for example, national legislation implementing 37 inshore restricted areas for the protection of bass and Sea Fisheries Committee byelaws restricting the length of vessels allowed to fish within 6 nautical miles around the coast of England and Wales.
The Government also acknowledges the significance of the inshore area to recreational sea anglers and has published a draft recreational sea angling strategy which considers within it the pros and cons of restrictions on commercial fishing activity within one mile of the shore. A summary of the responses to this consultation will be published shortly followed by a revised version of the strategy. In the meantime, the Government has launched a number of projects concerning sea angling, primarily in the inshore area namely:
• A review of the effectiveness of 37 protected areas in place for the protection of bass (a species of key interest to anglers). This may result in new protected areas or extensions to current areas around the coast
• Research into the use of restricted areas to benefit recreational sea anglers
• A 3 year research study to produce firmer data on the benefits to the sea angling sector from changes in fisheries management”
So there you have it yet another study in to sea angling… just what’s required – NOT!
