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| Netters using bigger meshes catch bigger fish like these two lonely looking big cod....... |
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| ....whereas boats targetting fish like red mullet with smaller meshes will not catch the bigger fish. |
Ahead of tomorrow' annual EU quota talks fishermen are lobbying hard for south west cod quotas not to be cut. This year has seen a sharp increase in the spread of juvenile cod being caught across the ICES Area VII. Cheryl Murray conservative MP for South Est Cornwall appeared on the Politics Show in defence of likely cuts. A scientist spokesperson said he would like to see fishermen given more say in managing their own quotas on a regional basis - that would receive wide support but would entail the getting together of several nations around the negotiating table to hammer out.
There are many reasons why juvenile cod are evident this year, diminished fishing effort from a much reduced French, Belgian and Dutch fleet, environmental factors like sea temperature or migratory patterns.
A short report from Martin Oates for BBC South-West sees him talking to Helford fisherman Chris Bean aboard the Lady Hamilton - who finds twice as many cod in his nets as red mullet - his target fish! Although the the cod caught by Chris Bean are small - this is accounted for by the small mesh of his nets.
