2019 Bass Bag Restrict Agreed

Leisure anglers fishing for bass are to be allowed to retain as much as one bass per day from April 1st-Thirty first October 2019 after EU fisheries ministers thrashed out an settlement within the early hours of Wednesday morning.

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It’s a disappointing end result for anglers who have been campaigning for the bag restrict to be elevated to a few or two bass per day based mostly on scientific estimates indicating this was sustainable.

The UK authorities agreed such a rise could be proportionate and pushed exhausting for a rise within the bag restrict however obtained no help from different EU nations in addition to opposition from the EU Fee which, opposite to the scientific estimates, argued that two fish per day would result in a doubling within the quantity of bass eliminated by leisure fishing.

Bass is starting to get better after reaching critically low ranges in 2014 and though the shoots of restoration are beginning to be seen final yr’s measures weren’t as efficient as hoped and the EU Fee was very strong this yr in ensuring the restoration is constructed on with restricted extra focused fishing in 2019.

Nonetheless, the Council of Ministers did conform to reasonable will increase in business hook & line limits from 5t to five.5t per yr; bycatch limits for trawls from 100kg per thirty days as much as 400kg per two months (however nonetheless not more than 1 per cent of catch per day); seines from 180kg per thirty days as much as 210kg per thirty days (however nonetheless not more than 1 per cent per day); and stuck nets up from 1.2t per thirty days to 1.4t in 2019.

The proposed share of catch per journey restrict for fastened nets was dropped utterly within the remaining deal that means, for the third yr operating, the UK has agreed to unenforceable ‘unavoidable bycatch’ restrictions for fastened netting.

David Mitchell, Angling Belief’s Head of Marine, who was in Brussels for the negotiations, stated: “We’re dissatisfied by the end result. It seems to be like, as soon as once more, the UK was a lone voice sticking up for leisure fishing. Nonetheless, as we all know, within the EU course of you’ll be able to’t obtain something by yourself. We have been astonished that the Fee assumed two bass per day would improve the variety of bass taken recreationally by 100 per cent when Cefas proof clearly indicated it could result in solely a 23 per cent improve. That is one thing we might be asking the UK authorities to take up with the Fee within the New 12 months.

A small consolation for anglers is that they’re now capable of retain bass for seven months in 2019 and from April to October, which is extra helpful for extra anglers than 2017’s July to December bag restrict. Total, business and leisure fishing have seen reasonable will increase in what they’re able to land which mirror a slight enchancment within the inventory, however there may be nonetheless an extended street to full restoration forward.”

David Curtis, Director of Save Our Seabass, who was additionally current in Brussels for the negotiations stated: “Sea anglers, probably the most useful financial stakeholders within the bass fishery, now have lower than a 17 per cent share of the entire catch. A lot for proportionate measures! And our fisheries minister and Defra have pressured the EU Fee to drop their proposal which might have stopped fastened netters illegally concentrating on bass – they need to dangle their heads in disgrace.”