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The first meeting of the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committees new Commercial and Recreational Sub Group met last week (18th January). The Group was set up last September and parallels decisions taken by some other Sea Fisheries Committees at that time.
The remit of the group is to consider all matters in relation to angling, diving, hooking and other recreational pursuits, reporting back to the Main Committee.
A ‘straw poll’ before meeting established that all the group members derived some sort of benefits or enjoyment from spending time on the coast.
At its first meeting, discussions took place on bass recreational bag limits (and ‘grey economy’), conservation measures for black bream and other minimum fish sizes proposed by anglers, and constraints to spear fishing/flounder spiking. Another measure looked at more stringent recreational limits upon prawn catches to supplement a package of prawn management measures proposed by Welsh industry.
Speaking for the Committee, Mr Lyndon Lammas – angling representative (who initially proposed the formation of the group) said, “There is an awful lot of common ground between commercial fishermen and recreational fishermen. This group aims to build upon these links for common purpose. The benefits of close working between commercial and recreational sectors are high – so as to deliver effective conservation and management of fish and shellfish stocks for the benefit of all.”
- SFCs have been established since the late 1800s primarily to manage inshore shellfisheries. In the last decade they have been given further environmental duties.
- Man has traditionally harvested from the sea whether for commercial or recreational gain, although the latter has grown exceptionally since the 1980s.
- If fish and shellfish stocks are to be maintained, it is increasingly necessary to manage both commercial and recreational activities in a fair and balanced manner. Such is undertaken in many countries, but less so in the UK.
- SWSFC has been in the forefront in that it has established recreational limits for shellfish fishing and recreational netting since 1980.
- A report to UK Government ‘Net Benefits’ in 2005 – http://www.defra.gov.uk/fish/sea/sfp/index.htm has identified further the need for dedicated policy to better manage human activities on the coast, including recreational activity. The recently established SWSFC Commercial and Recreational Working Group is a means to achieve this, particularly if SFC powers and duties change as a result of proposals under the Marine Bill, a white paper on which is expected soon.
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