In desperation - another letter to the MMO.

Here is just one example of the dilemma inshore fishermen face - too little national quota available to share out to the nation's fleet of small inshore boats who, even if they fished to the max, would have little tangible effect on particular stocks of fish - based on their assessment of these stocks. One of them has written yet another impassioned letter to his local MMO office in desperation:

I have been fishing the wrecks in the Thames Estuary for the past week or so, I have been using 10.7 inch gear in very short fleets. I have been placing them right across the top of the wrecks and I still cannot avoid catching skate. I had four hauls last week and dumped at least 450 kg (71 stone/ 0.43 ton) of prime fish.

The reason for fishing the wrecks is to catch lobster as I have very little quota regarding other species of fish. How can the idiots that run your organisation (the MMO) come up with a monthly figure of 75 kg, I can catch that in less than an hour. There are literally thousands of them on the ground and as we both know, dumping fish with little or no chance of survival is totally unacceptable and does nothing for conservation.

Same story, different fish is being repeated up and down the length of the country - with no obvious solution.

Wanted, ideas please!