Statutory guidance Bass Fishing: Catch limits, closures and minimum size

Just published by the MMO: Bass Fishing: Catch limits, closures and minimum size

• What rules apply to commercial fisherman
• Where commercial bass fishing is permanently closed
• When you can fish commercially and how much bass you can keep
• Bass and the landing obligation
• Capped Licences
• Recreational fishing for bass
• Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS)
• If you break the law
• Further Information

If you are a commercial or recreational fisherman for bass you will need to comply with the new rules for:

where you can catch bass when you can catch bass
how many bass you can catch
minimum size you can keep

1. What rules apply to commercial fisherman The rules apply if you are a commercial fishermen and you:

target bass or catch them as a by-catch
use one of the regulated fishing gears
operate in the North Sea, Channel, South West Approaches, West of Ireland, Celtic Sea or Irish Sea 2. Where commercial bass fishing is permanently closed
You must not catch, retain (keep), tranship (transfer fish from one vessel to another while at sea) or land bass from the following areas.

Sea area

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) division South West Approaches ICES VIIb, VIIc, VIIj and VIIk

Irish or Celtic Sea Outside the 12 nautical mile limit of ICES VIIg and VIIa

3. When you can fish commercially and how much bass you can keep From 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016 you may only use certain fishing methods to fish for or retain bass as a by-catch. The quantity of bass you can keep is subject to limits and these are described in the table below.

You may only retain bass during February and March if fishing with demersal trawls and seines when up to 1 per cent of the catch retained on board at any time may be bass. You may not keep any bass caught using other fishing methods in these months; it must be discarded.

3.1 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016 (inclusive)

Sea Area ICES Division Demersal trawls and seines Fixed Nets, Hooks and lines All other gear types (including drift nets)

North Sea IVb, IVc Up to 1% bass by-catch 1,300kg bass per vessel per month except February and March All bass catches prohibited

Channel VIId, VIIe Up to 1% bass by-catch 1,300kg bass per vessel per month except February and March All bass catches prohibited

Celtic Sea VIIf, VIIg* Up to 1% bass by-catch 1,300kg bass per vessel per month except February and March All bass catches prohibited

Irish Sea VIIa* Up to 1% bass by-catch 1,300kg bass per vessel per month except February and March All bass catches prohibited

South West Approaches VIIh Up to 1% bass by-catch 1,300kg bass per vessel per month except February and March All bass catches prohibited

* Inside 12nm limit only

From 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016 you may fish for bass subject to catch limits. Depending on the subject to the limits in the table below.

Commercial fishing restrictions map 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016.

3.2 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016 (inclusive)

Sea Area ICES Division Demersal trawls and seines Fixed Nets, Hooks and lines All other gear types (including drift nets)

North Sea IVb, IVc 1,000kg bass per vessel per month 1,300kg bass per vessel per month 1,000kg bass per vessel per month

Channel VIId, VIIe 1,000kg bass per vessel per month 1,300kg bass per vessel per month 1,000kg bass per vessel per month

Celtic Sea VIIf, VIIg* 1,000kg bass per vessel per month 1,300kg bass per vessel per month 1,000kg bass per vessel per month

Irish Sea VIIa* 1,000kg bass per vessel per month 1,300kg bass per vessel per month 1,000kg bass per vessel per month

South West Approaches VIIh 1,000kg bass per vessel per month 1,300kg bass per vessel per month 1,000kg bass per vessel per month

* Inside 12nm limit only

All bass that you catch from each area will count towards your monthly total catch limit. If you fish in more than one area, you must combine the catches and the total quantity of bass retained must not exceed the monthly limit.

If you use different gear during a calendar month then the lowest catch limit for that fishing gear applies. For example, if you use fixed gill nets and a demersal trawl during July, the maximum permitted catch for your vessel is 1,000kg.

The catch limit applies to a single vessel - you can’t transfer it between vessels.

4. Bass and the landing obligation

This applies to commercial fisheries. Bass is subject to catch limits and therefore the landing obligation (“discards ban”) applies.

If you target pelagic fisheries with pelagic gear then you must land all the bass caught unless you are operating in an area where commercial fishing for bass is prohibited, in which case you may not keep any bass caught; it must be discarded.

Further information on the pelagic landing obligation.

The demersal landing obligation is being gradually brought in. The demersal landing obligation does not currently apply to bass in 2016. It will apply to bass in all fisheries no later than 2019.

5. Capped Licences

If you have a capped licence you are subject to the prohibitions, by-catch restrictions and the monthly bass catch limits outlined above.

6. Recreational fishing for bass

If you are a recreational fisherman in the North Sea and Western waters you are subject to the limitations below:

Sea Area ICES Division 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2016 1 July 2016 to 31 December

North Sea IVb, IVc Catch and release only 1 bass per fisherman per day

East Channel VIId, VIIe Catch and release only 1 bass per fisherman per day

Celtic Sea VIIf, VIIg Catch and release only 1 bass per fisherman per day

Irish Sea VIIa Catch and release only 1 bass per fisherman per day

South West Approaches VIIh Catch and release only 1 bass per fisherman per day

West of Ireland VIIj, VIIk 1 bass per fisherman per day 1 bass per fisherman per day

This applies whether you are fishing from a vessel or from the shore.

7. Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS)

The MCRS for bass is 42cm.

You must not retain, tranship, land, transport, store, sell, display or offer for sale specimens below the MCRS, but must return them immediately to the sea.

The landing obligation may require you to land all the bass caught during fishing operations.

8. If you break the law You can be fined or prosecuted if you don’t follow the rules.

Read the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) compliance and enforcement strategy.

Penalties

You can be given a penalty if you admit or are found guilty of an offence.

A court may:

give you an unlimited fine
order the confiscation of your fish or give you a fine to the value of the fish
order the confiscation of your fishing gear

The MMO may offer you an administrative penalty up to a maximum of £10,000 instead of going to court. Read the financial administrative penalties for fisheries offences for more information.



9. Further Information Council Regulation 

(EU) 2016/72 of 22 January 2016 fixing for 2016 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2015/104

Published 1 February 2016

Taking a punt on the fish in the Bay.

Every now and then when the weather pushes in strong winds and a big ground sea from the west it pays to have a look in the Bay for big white fish...

Just a few of the 500kg of spurdogs caught and dumped today by the Govenek of Ladram

but by the end of play today, the Govenek of Ladram had amassed around a half a ton of spurdogs - not the best fish to have mixed in with the rest of your haul when there is a moratorium on landing these fish!

Catches of spurdogs have been steadily rising right around the English coastline in recent years and fishermen are quite rightly wondering when some sort of sensible landing policy will be agreed before the tonnage being dumped becomes untenable.

What grieves the boats most is the lack of serious data on the spread of these fish - as there is a complete ban on landing even a single fish there are no landing records to compute.

Gary, from Cefas collecting landing data on Newlyn market - one time port record holder Boy Gary was named after him.

Over the years Nelwyn has seen some huge landings of dogs - at one time the port record which stood at £37,500 was held by the 36ft tosher Boy Gary from fishing on spurdogs...

For a while the traditional aluminium kits were replaced with plastic ones for the very largest sizes of white fish like dogs, cod, conger, pollack, coley,  ling and ray which were deemed not to require more gentle handling.

with the weather barely above freezing at the time and the fish market short of 10 stone (62kg) kits... 

many of the fish landed were left in 10st piles on the quay and auctioned off as they were. 

#Storm Henry heads for Scotland.

Image courtesy of EarthNull.org

Henry the 1st is just beginning to threaten the west coast of Scotland - not the best day to be out at Rockall...

- not with this given out at the two o'clock forecast..

things were already buzzing at the Butt of Lewis around 1pm!

"They call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesdays' just the same"

It's dark and dismal outside but with some fish on the market the buyers are looking more cheerful this morning...

though the mix of fish is fairly restricted as the only boats to land any quantity are two of the big netters and their whitefish trips of blackjacks...

even a few big huss...

enough to concentrate the minds...

of an attentive audience...

these guys will go for top dollar this morning...

ID this fish...

a box of pouting gets the Cefas treatment...

that cod is longer then a 7st (45Kg) bpx...

with its huge gill plates and gills needed to get as much O2 in its circulatory system as possible...

the Govenek of Ladram had fished in the Bristol Channel for these fish alongside the Joy and Karen of Ladram...

all set for tomorrow's auction...

an entire fleet in a box...

Crystal Sea II ready to land...

let's hope she stays put for a good while yet...

And to end this morning on a high note, before the weather blows all the fleet back in again - probably the best version of this blues standard, from 1965 - one for you Gibson fans - a triple pickup Black Beauty at its best in the hands of God.

Iconic small fishing boats of Cornwall face extinction warns Cornish fisherman.

The reality of the ban on discards - partly the result of a huge TV and media campaign - in the form of the Landing Obligation is already being felt here in the south west - and for some the results are already dire. 

Remember, the inshore fleet (under 10m vessels like the Lady Hamilton below) only have access to 4% of the TOTAL UK fish quota.

"A FISHERMAN has warned that Cornwall's iconic fishing boats face extinction due to new government and European Union red tape. The warning comes from fisherman Chris Bean, who has been forced to tie up his boat, the 8-metre Lady Hamilton, on the Helford River. He has been forced to pay a retainer to keep his crew but says he is unable to work, despite an abundance of fish in the sea. The Government has argued that quotas are essential to preserve fish stocks and ensure the long-term sustainability of the fishing industry.

Skipper/owner Chris Bean on the hauler of the Lady Hamilton off Falmouth.

Mr Bean said his quota for cod stands at only 230kg a month, which his boat can catch in just two days. A total ban on catching sea bass later this month will also hit small boats across Cornwall and beyond, he warned. "This has led to a disastrous situation for the small boat fishermen around our coast," he said. "After all, it is them that provide the local communities with the buzz, the tradition, the jobs and seamanship skills that so much of the nation enjoys, expects and admires."

He said he would be unable to catch alternative fish without also netting cod, which he would be forced to discard. He added: "Unless immediate action is taken to support small vessels, they will absolutely disappear. "Only an overhaul of fishing opportunities with the reallocation of quota will prevent the demise of a once vibrant local inshore fleet."

Mr Bean, who has fished since 1969, said there was plenty of fish reported off the coast including a shoal off the east side of the Lizard peninsula which was the biggest he had seen since the Seventies. "There must have been hundreds of thousands of tons of mixed pelagic fish there," he said. "There were pilchards, mackerel, herring scads and sprats all making up the feed for the normal winter predators. "The last two or three years had been the best I can remember for bass and cod."

Mr Bean has built up his business in the past 10 years, supplying fish to high-end restaurants in London, across Cornwall and local farmers' markets such as the twice-weekly one in Truro. "Unless immediate action is taken to support small vessels, they will absolutely disappear," he added. "Only an overhaul of fishing opportunities with the reallocation of quota will prevent the demise of a once vibrant local inshore fleet."

Fisheries Minister George Eustice, MP for Redruth, Camborne and Hayle, said quotas were crucial to safeguard the long-term success of the fishing industry. He said: "Quotas play a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of our stocks and it is important we strike the right balance between supporting all our fishermen and protecting the marine environment. "To help the inshore fleet, we took unused quota from the over 10-metre vessels and permanently transferred this to the under 10s, giving them an extra 678 tonnes in 2015. "This year, these vessels will also receive more than 1,000 tonnes of quota uplift to support smaller scale fishermen as they adapt to the discard ban, which came into force on 1 January 2016."

The EU Fisheries and Agriculture Council, after discussions with the UK Government, decided last month to a six-month closure of sea bass fisheries, to run from January to June.

Low-impact inshore fishing boats have a partial ban between February and March during spawning periods."

Courtesy of the West Briton. Follow @westbriton on Twitter 

#Penlee lifeboat Ivan Ellen out on a shout tonight.

Just making her way back to Nelwyn through the gaps, the Ivan Ellen was called out on a shout at 17:51 off the back of the harbour over in Penzance. #RNLI

Padstow and Appledore lifeboats attend to broken down cargo ship off Lundy.

The 91m cargo vessel Verity carrying scrap metal suffered serious engine difficulties on Thursday just after 12.30pm.  The AIS track shows how she drifted without power before being towed by the Dutch naval vessle D Ruyter which towed her to a safe anchorage in the lee of Lundy Island. The Padstow and Appledore lifeboats stood by (seen in red), Padstow eventually returning to port...

In the meantime the tug Bremen Fighter based at Holyhead on Anglesey steamed south to tow the stricken vessel to Swansea. Seven crew remain aboard the cargo ship.