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DIRECTOR’S REPORT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING 30th September 2009

WEATHER
The summer of 2009 was almost a direct repeat of that in 2008; incessant winds and storms from the south west.  Thankfully September was settled.

The inclement weather caused numerous cancellations for angling charter and dive boats.
It forced fishermen (and Fishery Officers) to work weather windows, including far more night work at which time the weather was often calmer.

Whether it was the weather or alternatively the harsh economic climate, another note worthy aspect was the apparent tendency of some local fishermen to break fishery rules. Many were apprehended over the period by vigilant Fishery Officers, particularly in Carmarthen Bay.

FISHING ACTIVITY
FINFISH
Trawling and netting took place when the weather allowed.  It did seem as if the ‘Gods conspired against’ this summer.  If it wasn’t the storms, it was the Rhizostoma (Barrel) jellyfish filling the nets or the seals eating fish within static nets.

At the same time catches were generally poor, especially of bass and mackerel.

Bait fish seemed prevalent again, as were dolphins offshore.  Like last quarter, it was suggested that bass spent their time offshore rather than offering themselves for capture inshore.

Local netsmen and anglers (commercial and recreational) have joined together to blame the efforts of trawlers (North Devon trawlers in particular) in depleting ‘their fish’.  In reality, bass stocks are far ranging and are fished throughout numerous fishermen using a range of methods.

As a Fishery Officer reports, one of these includes large powerful Belgian beamers now operating just beyond the 6 nautical mile limit in search of flatfish and rays in particular.  They are excluded to beyond the 12nm limit when they operate twin beam trawls however, as reported previously, they now fish an otter trawl off each beam thereby being allowed to come within the 6-12 mile.   This then causes the smaller North Devon trawlers (of whom the inshore fishermen complain) to seek sanctuary inside of the 6 mile limit.

The solution, if there is one, lies within the Common Fisheries Policy which is currently under review.  What is needed is common sense.  An ability to apply conservation rules to all vessels that fish in the 6-12 mile.

Elsewhere catches of black bream, gilthead bream, red mullet and trigger fish continue in abundance, indicating the effects of recent mild winters.

MOLLUSCS
Cockles
The cockle story is equally a sorry one.  Like 2008 (and other recent years) most all Burry Inlet and Three Rivers cockles have now died.  The patterns of die-off being repeated once more.   This time it has been fully documented by Swansea University scientists.

Burry Inlet cockle licence holders are dejected.  Although joint studies continue (and will be reported upon over the winter) there is as yet no identifiable cause, and therefore any solution to offer for the mortality events.  They have no hope, nor visibility to future earnings.  Increasing numbers now hand back their licences.  Most have now taken up alternative employment to make ends meet.  A few have secured licences for the Dee Regulated cockle fishery which they fished until it closed in September.  Whilst cockles there fetched good prices (£700-£1300/tonne), the small Burry Inlet cockle did not (£300/tonne).  Understandably therefore, some 22 licence holders fished only infrequently, some around their now main jobs on land.  As the cockle fishery has all but finished by September end through lack of sizeable cockle to collect, I can report year end landings of:  Burry Inlet 885t (worth c £265,500) and 45 tonnes for the Three Rivers estuary.  The latter (for the first time ever) opened up 7 days a week at Laugharne from the 20th August.  Vessel operators negotiated access with MoD Range Control.

Again, as in recent years, spring cockle spawning has been heavy.  Spat is abundant in both estuaries at 5mm in size in August, growing to 8mm by September.

It is interesting to again note that the last cockle to die off in the Burry Inlet were at Ochor Draw (Penclawdd) and at Cheriton.  Both are areas where cockle growth is least due to tidal emersion and less nutrient food (respectively).  Also, a heavy growth of green algae (Enteromorpha) was noted at Llanelli (Pwll).  This is indicative of high levels of certain nutrients.

Mussels
The shortage of cockle and general economic climate has put pressure on the mussel beds in recent years.  By September hand mussel fishing effort had increased again.  However many of the local beds hold either poor adult mussel stocks or they are located high up the shore, and accordingly barnacle covered and contain poor meat yields.  c 3½ tones of adult mussel (worth c £2250) were taken. 
Following survey in June, Whiteford Point was opened up to hand gathering of mussel between 19th August and 30th September.  A total allowable catch was set, that left (pre storms) more than 2000 tonnes of mussel across the Scar as bird food.  Gathering stopped, at the advice of CCW, before migrant oystercatcher arrived from October onwards.

c 596 tonnes were taken valued at £58,200 by three groups of gatherers (up to 20 people per group at any one time).

The north west corner of the bed contained sizeable (>45mm) mussel having apparently survived the blast of sand and waves last winter and subsequently shown good growth.  They become unstable as they grow and would in all probability not have survived another winter.

These were gathered and sold as seed.  Canny merchants, however, graded out the large to sell for direct human consumption at a higher price, rather than for relaying/fattening as seed.  This caused howls of protest from various quarters considered as a ‘rip off’ by the seed collectors and a ‘waste of my mussel’ from the longer term fishermen short of marketable mussel.  It had, however, been on site and available for fishing over the summer and would likely have not survived the autumn storms.

Whelk
Fishing continued a pace in between weather windows.  Those fishing deeper water offshore had less cause to moan about storms filling up their pots with silt, but comparatively had to battle more seas to get to their fishing grounds.  Prices were £550-£600/tonne.

Crustaceans
The weather disrupted pot and net operations as well.  Despite this, prices for lobster in particular were very weak at <£10/kilo as seemingly even limited UK supplies overwhelmed European markets in a recessionary environment.

On a positive note landings of edible crab picked up, especially in September, to levels not seen in recent years.

Furthermore, some more effort is being applied in the mid Bristol Channel region, which has produced both crab and lobster of a very good size.

Fishery Officers managed to complete the brown crab tagging operations, mainly using the FPV as base.  Although the weather was a hindrance, some discard monitoring also took place onboard several lobster boats.

GENERAL
The reports show that the Fishery Officer service has been very active across all areas during the ‘summer’ period.

Whilst the weather undoubtedly affected the operations of the Protection Vessel, it is extremely pleasing to note the efforts they went to in order to make the most of the calmer periods between storms – just as fishermen did.  Just like fishermen, they operated in Carmarthen Bay at night.  In doing so they apprehended numerous vessels transgressing the ‘no netting’ boxes, or for using nets of excessive length and a box of undersized plaice was discovered onboard a trawler.

The Officers are to be thoroughly congratulated on their work which sets the standard to which the new WAG run fishery regime must aspire.

These cases will now proceed to court over the winter period.

In between operational work, all staff have met with WAG HR staff and undertaken Job Evaluation exercises ready to be absorbed into WAG Fish from 1 April 2010.

Office staff continue to liaise closely with the WAG Project implementation team, the Deputy Director having now been ‘seconded’ for two days a week until the project end at 1st April.

Not surprisingly, this project continues to impact heavily upon the work of office staff with meeting after meeting taking place in Aberystwyth and much preparatory work in between.

Thankfully, as can be seen by the Fishery Officer reports, the hierarchical management regime in place which, through the efforts of Senior Fishery Officer and Master, has meant that field operations have bee little affected.

There is no report from the Conservation ‘team’ this quarter.  Dr L Llewellyn commenced maternity leave on 3rd August, and will return by next May.  Jo Bayes (Biodiversity Officer) acted up in the interim before she too departed for Australia on 25th September.  Jo’s position has been ably filled by Jenni Hartley who has taken the CCW funded Biodiversity Officers post until August 2010 (13 months).  She will be aided by contractual help from Dr A Woolmer (previous Committee Biologist, now marine consultant) on 1-2 day week basis according to need.

Over the summer period the team has been involved in crab tagging, lobster discard monitoring, survey of mussel at Whiteford and cockle in the Three Rivers estuary.  Slipper limpet surveys and routine photo monitoring and liaison continue.  Unfortunately, on one FPV survey in the Milford Haven, the towed camera sledge became trapped and the umbilical snapped.  The unit was therefore lost to the sea (and would have been ruined in any case due to water ingress) and is the subject of replacement through an insurance claim.

At the Director’s request, the Biologist, aided by keen Fishery Officers, has also trialed some seine netting of O group bass in local estuaries.  It is hoped that this will become part of a regular National programme to monitor the strength of bass spawning success in a like manner to that already undertaken for cockles.

We welcomed Mike Calas to the organisation from mid July.  He replaced FO M Tiling who took up a promotion in North Eastern SFC.  Mike has been given on the job training, and then an induction by fire!

Finally, amongst the various flotsam and jetsam washed in by the storms, were numbers of Portuguese Man of War jellyfish especially in Carmarthen and St Brides bays.  These had obviously blown many miles across the Atlantic just as Vallera (sail by the wind) jellyfish have done in past years.  However, on this occasion their potentially poisonous stinging tentacles caused Local Authorities to temporarily close beaches to bathing.  I suppose it made a new talking point for weather worn tourists!

NOTE : Some inspections are covered under more than one legislation, therefore can appear as more than one count in each period.

OUTSTANDING CASES END SEPTMBER 2009

CONCLUDED CASES - END SEPTMBER 2009

PRESS RELEASE 7/09 - DATE: 4 SEPT. 2009
PRIZE SHELLFISH COSTS FISHERMAN DEAR
A south coast of England fisherman had penalties totalling £1415 imposed upon him after Cardigan Magistrates heard that Fishery Officers had found undersized scallops aboard his boat.

Sitting in Cardigan on 3 September, the Court heard how the boat ‘Liza Leanne’ skippered and part owned by Andrew David Mitchell of Marsh Lane, Lymington, Hampshire had been boarded off Cardigan Island on 18 March by Officers from the Fishery Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’ operated by South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee.

Following scallop dredging operations there were a number of sacks and baskets of scallops on the deck of the fishing boat, an inspection of which indicated the catch to contain 16% below the minimum size set for the shellfish.

The court heard how the minimum size was an important element in the range of scallop conservation measures that were in place and how the previous 18 months had seen a considerable rise in the amount of scallop dredging taking place in Cardigan Bay. The whole matter of scallop conservation was also the subject of a Welsh Assembly Government consultation the results of which was awaited by fishing industry and conservation groups alike.

In addition to the £1000 fine, elevated costs of £400 were awarded against Mitchell who had been arrested and bailed to appear in Cardigan following a previous failure to attend the court. A Victim Surcharge of £15 was also added to the bill.

PPRESS RELEASE 8/09 - DATE: 24 SEPT 2009
OVER LENGTH NETS NOT ALLOWED
A Porthcawl fisherman had penalties totaling £580 imposed upon him after Bridgend Magistrates heard that Fishery Officers had seen him using over-length nets from his boat.

Sitting in Bridgend on 21 September, the Court heard how the boat ‘Violet Eileen’ skippered and owned by Abraham Prescott of 16 Pen y Fford, North Cornelly had been boarded off Porthcawl on 23 May by Officers from the Fishery Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’ operated by South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee.

Officers observed net markers in the water over Nash Bank, a well known local bass fishing area. The distance between the sets of markers suggested the nets between were in excess of the Byelaw limit of 200 metres, a fact confirmed by the defendant.

After the nets were hauled and seized subsequent examination revealed one to be 484 metres long and the other was 261 metres long. In addition to these findings Officers established that the mesh size of one of the nets at 93mm was less than the Byelaw limit of 100mm.

The court heard how nets limitations were an important element in the range of bass and other finfish conservation measures that were in place ensuring that smaller fish escaped to grow larger and that localized stocks were not over exploited.

 In addition to the £400 fine, costs of £165 were awarded against Prescott. A Victim Surcharge of £15 was also added to the bill.