The Kelly of Ladram is a Newlyn based netter that fishes primarily for hake. Skipper Alan Dwan has made his reputation fishing for these fine fish. Skippers have limited control over the type of fish they catch. For some boats, like the pelagic fleet, targeting specific fish is more straightforward - as experienced skippers they have learned to recognise the kind of fish below the boat from the image on their electronic fish-finding screens like echo-sounders and sonar. Boats like the Kelly of Ladram target bottom dwelling fish and the skill of the skipper is finding the right kind of ground at the right time of year with the right tide and weather conditions - and even then, what fish swim into the nets is still largely chance. In 2022 Cefas launched an app for skippers to report their tussles wuth dogfish while at sea. The pioneering technology will allow skippers to report bycatch and plot routes to avoid areas of high spurdog density – all in one place.
Which is where the issue of dogfish - or more accurately - spur-dogfish - become an issue for skippers. It is only in recent years that a fixed number of boats were allowed to land the dogfish they caught - and even then limited to 1 ton per month. The rules were further relaxed at the start of this year to include other vessels. The problem with spurdogs is that they sometimes swim in concentrated 'packs' - and when that happens netters (and trawlers) don't just catch a few they can catch tons. When that happens the nets used, be they gillnet or trawl can be severely damaged - something that no skipper wants as nets are expensive and the time taken to repair or replace the damaged gear can be excessive, especially if repairing the damage is needed.
This is the irony of the situation. Spurdogs do not fetch much money on the ,market - certainly not enough to make it worthwhile ignoring the cost of the damage and effort needed when there are a lot on the ground - which is why you see text messages from skippers like Alan posting his 'office' view with a message home like the one below...
Back in the late 1970s and early 80s many of the Newlyn long-line fleet targeted dogs - they followed the packs as they travelled northwards and based themselves first in Milford and then Holyhead to fish off the Isle of Man. The difference in those days was that longlines, unlike nets, are not damaged by targeting dogs so the fishery was both viable and sustainable.
For a short time, as more and more boats in the longline fleet changed to multi-mono nets the packs of dogs were targeted by the smaller netters - even though the toll on the gear (and the crew when picking out) was high. At one time, the entire length of the Mary Williams quay, was covered with spurdogs landed in 100st piles. That week the 37' tosher Boy Gary broke the port record when skipper John Thomas made over £37,000.