South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee

This, being the final ever Director’s report as SWSFC is amalgamated into WAG Fish, covers the period 1st October 2009 to 26th March 2010.

October followed September in providing plenty of opportunity for fishing until the 19th when inclement weather struck, becoming gale force by the end of the month. That was the forerunner of things to come as, aside from two days (11/12th), continuous gales blew until the month was out. Some fishing was possible from 1st December until the Christmas break, but then it became particularly cold, right through to the end of February. Whilst South Wales missed most of the snow, unlike most of the country, it was still bitterly cold with occasional light flurries and hard frosts. Consecutive cold nights gave rise to frozen foam and fresh water on most beaches, and ice flows from fresh water river inputs into the Burry Inlet.

The weather, as ever, seriously influenced both nature and mans fishing operations making this a very quiet period indeed.

FISHING ACTIVITY

The usual species were in evidence: Codling, whiting, various flatfish, dogfish and rays. Some bass were also evident. It was pleasing to see numerous codling in the 20-25cm size range, especially to the east of Swansea. Some have also been found inside lobster pots to the west. Whilst there were also the occasional cod to 20lbs present, numbers in between sizes were conspicuous by their absence. Hopefully these juveniles will grow and return next year as 3-5lb fish, as it has been some years now since we have seen plentiful mid range fish.

Some trawling and netting has taken place for the above species when the weather has allowed, but catches have been unremarkable.

Reports have been received of plentiful supplies of bait fish - presumed (sprat to the east) and herring (Milford Haven and Fishguard). Some spurdog were also reported in the eastern sector.

– The Committee took the decision in September to establish the winter closure throughout its district. At the December meeting the decision was partially reversed owing to the extreme weather conditions which had prevented fishing and therefore relieved fishing pressure.
Accordingly, only the area east of St Govan was closed, and between 19th December and 1st February. Three boats continued to fish this area but offshore of the SWSFC district or at the entrance to Milford Haven. Prices remained c £600/tonne throughout. The closure had perhaps a greater impact on the relatively new fishing effort south of Gower. These boats switched to netting/trawling where they could.
The stormy November weather caused carnage in the static gear fisheries, especially for whelk and lobster pots, much of which was ‘balled up’ and washed inshore or filled with silt. Some losses were substantial in both monetary terms, loss of catch and loss of equipment and time misspent.
The losses were exacerbated by the recent tendency for lobster fishermen to fish late into the year, whereas historically the inshore players would have pulled their gear by October end.
– Fishing took place in the Milford Haven, mostly upstream of Neyland bridge after October. Markets were found on the south coast offering £2.50/kg (£2500/tonne) with up to 100kg being taken per boat/day by the 3-5 boats fishing (2 mainly). Fishermen reported an increasing amount of slipper limpet pests (crepidula fornicate), on some occasions filling the dredges and stopping the boat in its tracks.
- WAG were in the process of reviewing management controls when the close season was due to come to an end on 1st November. Several of the technical measures required EU approval which can take up to 3 months. Accordingly whilst this, and a public consultation on the measures, took place an SI extended the closure to 1st March 2010 throughout the Wales 12nm zone. Staff were deployed to aid enforce this measure.

As well reported in previous quarters, the on-going unexplained spring cockle mortality continued to leave its mark – with local estuaries almost devoid of adult cockle.

However, as the year progressed the extent of spring spawning became ever more apparent. Again, there are large quantities of spat (0+) present throughout the Burry Inlet and Three Rivers estuaries (except at Ferryside). By December this had reached 15/16mm in size in the Burry Inlet, but only 8/9mm in the Three Rivers – the difference perhaps arising from a later settlement in the latter region.

Growing conditions were evidently favourable in the autumn. However, growth appears to have all but stopped between December and March. Presumably this reflects the cold air and water temperatures (90C in December, falling to 60C by February).

It is tempting to hope that this ‘cold shock’ treatment might change the circumstances, break the chain, and postpone or prevent the mysterious spring mortality currently experienced since c 2004. But that was suggested after 2008s cold snap (the first for many a year), and yet cockles still died from April onwards in 2009.

As a positive, numbers of spat in March appeared to be the same as they were in November, before all the storms and cold weather.

Cockle fishing, nevertheless, remained very muted owing to the absence of sizeable cockle. A few hardy souls fished the Burry Inlet under licence to supply local markets, and some larger cockle was collected from the Three Rivers for purification and then local on sale. The locally sourced cooked product was used to ‘bulk’ out supplies purchased from elsewhere in England. Prices paid (per cwt) were £15 (October), £10 (November) and £12 (December).

In the absence of cockle, demand for local mussel was again high. The routine closure of the Dee licenced cockle fishery merely added to this demand so cocklers returned home.

Gathering of mussel seed at Whiteford stopped in early October, leaving in excess of 2000 tonnes on the ground as planned. Occasional mussel gatherers still frequented the area post ‘seed closure’ taking > 45mm (adult) mussel, but this gathering was not ‘organised’ as was the seed operations.

Whereas the seed gatherers were paid £60/tonne all in, the other extreme of prices was that graded, cleaned, purified mussel to selected local markets fetched £450/tonne.

Other mussel fishing took place at the Burry Inlet training wall and St Ishmaels (selected finger and thumb gathering), and raked collection from Penrhyn Gwyn and Burry Port. The latter mussel was heavily barnacle covered, but at this medium (45mm) size was soft enough to be removed by riddling. Any older and the barnacles would become hard thus rendering the mussels unsaleable.
Again, it is reported that raking and riddling (as opposed to individual finger and thumb gathering) created a “fishing face” within the beds which potentially acted as a source for erosional losses. This was especially so during stormy, tidal conditions at Penrhyn Gwyn where mussel on the tops of bank crests was most vulnerable.

The use of graders (required to meet minimum mussel sizes), merely facilitated greater fishing effort, (mussel removal). But the actual patch disturbance was caused by hand raking. i.e. Hand fishing. Both hand fishing and minimum size are a requirement of the byelaws, and would require new regulations in order to exercise further control. For example, it might be argued that certain mussel beds ought to be designated ‘finger and thumb’ only, or kept closed until x% reached minimum size and only then (partially) opened to rake fishing. This is a difficult area in need of Policy review.

The use of graders at Penrhyn Gwyn was closely monitored. However, such was the mobile nature of the beds that bank crests were scoured of mussel independent of any fishing. An area set aside from fishing because of the presence of mussel seed, was also lost.

One question has arisen as to the fate of discards (<45mm mussel) exiting the graders. Whilst these were placed in sheltered hollows, there was still some doubt as to how well they survived. In order to exercise some control, threats were made that the beds would be closed unless the operators could demonstrate that discarded mussel was in fact retained on site. As a consequence, officers suggested that all discards be laid for 24 hours (>1 tide) under a trawl net. All agreed that the initial signs of this were encouraging. Biological surveillance work was commissioned to fully evaluate the trials.

However, on both occasions that the trials were set up (2nd November and 22nd January) the beds were closed by Environmental Health Officers for in excess of two weeks because of high bacteria counts, thus preventing fishing under trial conditions. As erosion was still obvious, the Committee discussed the matter at Molluscan Working Group and subsequently closed the beds to all but hand gathering by finger and thumb from 1st December to 1st April. This action was met with howls of protest from the main users who had to now look elsewhere to pay the bills, but some support by a silent minority.

Continuing attempts are being made to at least commence the awaited investigatory studies.

- Once again, throughout the district, a number of people continue to plug away at the winkle fishery. This activity takes place quietly; inconspicuously on most rocky intertidal shores. Operators work a patch, then move on, often bent double and hidden amongst the standing stones. The collected winkles are then placed in sacks and hauled back to vans parked on verges, to be taken to one or two merchants who mainly export. Prices paid range from £1200 to £1500/tonne (Xmas), and are frequently cash in hand. This type of trade merely serves to continue to encourage a clandestine activity. However, the full extent of landings are not well known anywhere in the UK. As winkles are known recognized as a ecological ‘keystone’ species in shaping the ecology of rocky shores (as rabbits and other grazers do so on land), it is perhaps surprising that the activity has not yet hit the radar of green lobbyists protecting ‘their’ conservation areas.

SWSFC hand only gathering and 13mm minimum landing sizes continue to be adhered to, and winkle stocks appear to be sustainable’ - albeit there is no routine monitoring nor baseline data against which to compare.

What more is there to say? Heavily impacted by autumnal storms at the end of the fishing season, catches were generally down. Some landings were made from fishing in December, which allowed the Xmas mark up in prices to be met. Freshwater run off in some areas allegedly caused some fatalities to stocks held in keep boxes, and this merely piled on the misery for some fishermen.

It was not all bad though. For the first time in many a year decent catches of edible crab was made, continuing a trend seen in the last quarter.

One operator has, however, found a purple patch well offshore of St Govans at the mouth of the Bristol Channel and at Lundy Island.

The company, TVD Fishing from Milford Haven, has invested in four potting vessels of substantial size and pedigree. ‘Ame Thiery GU1 (17 metre), Cesca M99 (15 metre), Euroclydon TH77, vivier crabber (18 metre), and the Kerloch J234 (15 metre). But on the 20th February the Kerloch hit Crow Rock off Linney head and sank, but not before the 4 crew had taken to a life raft and were subsequently rescued. These vessels are large and relatively modern, and fish amounts of gear not previously seen before in local waters. Viability is no doubt aided by the use of eastern European crews. Landings have been excellent, and include very large (and berried) lobster and crabs in number and size. If this is ‘virgin’ ground one wonders for how long the enterprise can be sustained? It is obviously a profitable one because the Kerloch was soon replaced by the Amie B988 (a 15 metre potter).

GENERAL
The post Christmas period has been used to prepare both gear and equipment for the forthcoming season. Unsurprisingly, this is frequently a time when boats are changed and this year has been no exception. Again, a move to catamaran craft has been noticed.

Fishery Officers spent a period in the Autumn working with the Police and hauling gear in the Milford Haven that had allegedly been stolen. This is not a new problem, but it is heartening that the Police have taken the matter seriously and we have been most happy to assist. However, the haulings were not as incriminating as they might have been. Whether that is good or bad depends upon ones own perspective.

BIOLOGICAL WORK
The Marine Biological Officer remains on maternity leave until 19th June 2010. Meanwhile the Director and Biodiversity Officer continue to fill the gaps and meet day to day requirements as best they can, aided by Dr A Woolmer who has been contracted to deliver 4 days per month marine survey and monitoring consultancy.

Fortunately the period has been quiet, and various survey work continues to be met by the Biodiversity Officer and CEFAS for routine survey work. As reported, some mussel grader assessment work was twice thwarted by public health closures. Other work in hand includes Three Rivers cockle survey, cockle mortality monitoring and some preliminary trials of a modified hydraulic dredge off Gower to assess efficiency and seabed/benthic impact.

ACCIDENT - FPV CRANOGWEN
As reported within the main section, the 20m FPV Cranogwen came into contact with a contracted Milford Haven Port Authority tug on the 4th March. The FPV was proceeding down a main channel and was hit amidships on the starboard side by the rear end of the ‘Svitzer Ramsay’. Whilst the gunnel was caved in, the damage is hopefully not as bad as first appeared. There was concern that structural damage might have been occasioned below the deck. If first assessments are confirmed, then the vessel will not be written off.

As with all Marine accidents there will be an investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the MCA, and separately matters rest with respective insurers.

Two crew were aboard the FPV. Both are very shaken by the incident, one sustained bruising and whiplash.

In hindsight this was a very fortunate occurrence. Anything smaller than the FPV or made of lesser material would probably now have been sitting on the seabed and with the crew having been dumped into water of 60C. Had that been the case, the consequences do not bear thinking about.
As things stand, we hope to have both vessel and crew (shaken, not stirred) back on full duty within a couple of months. Meanwhile the crew will seek to use RIBs and various contracted in FPV vessels to meet the offshore enforcement gap.

Whilst a combination of weather conditions, fishery closures and shortage of cockle and mussel might have given rise to the quietest ever period of activity on the ground for Fishery Officers, the same could not be said for the office!

WAG REVIEW
The Welsh Assembly Review process by which Welsh SFCs are to be integrated into WAG Fish from 1st April 2010 has created a significant new workload that has fallen upon all staff. From Chiefs to Indians, from office to outstationed staff - all have been hit. To sympathise though, it must have fallen on some WAG staff even more so, although the 3 extra staff recruited for the purpose and various departmental specialists have also been involved thus easing the burdens. Within both SFCs a Senior Officer has been seconded to help for 2 days a week. But this has merely left gaps elsewhere. Thank goodness for a quiet fishing period and a lull in internal policy development!

Notwithstanding the above, very good progress has been made to integrate the respective organisations with the least possible disruption to public services as practical. Even so, it is inevitable that such large changes will cause issues, but they are there to be sorted; in time.

The extent of the task has meant that various parts of the review process that were intended to be at least commenced prior to the amalgamation, have now been rolled over to the post implementation era.
Having now experienced just how a large organisation like WAG operates, I remain of the view that the change will see less work done at greater expense. Organisational responsiveness and staff accessibility is likely to suffer also. However, the Marine and Coastal Access act 2009 is now in place providing all the modern management powers that we have hankered after for so many years (decades), and WAG inherit better finances from both SFCs then they have experienced for many a year. In conclusion, circumstances could not look anymore favourable for WAG to deliver a revamped fishery management service for Wales.

Sadly this is my last Quarterly report; indeed the last report to the Committee. It remains for me to thank both members and staff, past and present, for all their sterling work over the years. All fishery management models have their strengths and weaknesses. One strength of every SFC is the sheer dedication of participants to work collectively together as part of a team to deliver common objectives. It is a circumstance in which each and everyone involved truly cares because they play a full part and each makes a difference, and knows it.

That is one element that I can confidently predict that WAG will not be able to deliver upon as an equal.

Farewell all. Nothing stays the same forever, nor should it. Long live the new fishery management service!

DIARY OF EVENTS
D = Director D = Deputy Director B = Both MCO = Marine Conservation Officer

OR	Defendant(s)	Date	Offence	Status
01	1 Shellfisherman	12 Jan 10	Undersize lobsters	Under investigation

OR	Defendant(s)	Date	Offence	Status
04	1 Shellfisherman	17 April 09	Undersized whelks	See Press Release 01/10
08	1 Fisherman	9 July 09	Bass nursery area	Formal Caution accepted.
09	2 x Shellfishermen	20 July 09	Undersize crab	See Press Release 10/09
10	2 x Fishermen	13 Sept 09	Drift nets in prohibited area	See Press Release 03/10
11	1 x Fisherman	15 Sept 09	Undersize plaice	See Press Release 02/10
12a+ 12b	2 x Fisherman	25 Sept 09	Drift nets in prohibited area	See Press Release 09/09

PRESS RELEASE 9/09 :
Two Llanelli fishermen had fines of £200 and costs of £50 imposed upon them after Magistrates sitting in Llanelli heard how Officers from the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee had discovered them drift netting in a prohibited area in north west Carmarthen Bay.

Officers had been patrolling in the early hours of 25 September in a rigid inflatable boat launched from the Committee’s Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’. From a position on the prohibited area boundary and using vision enhancing equipment they observed a number of nets and two small boats near them within the area.

Drift netting prohibited areas have been established under local Byelaw to protect migrating salmon and sewin and to prevent the over-exploitation of sea fish, notably bass, when they are in the confines of shallow water and channels found in the estuaries along the coast.

The boats belonged to the defendants Jeffery Dennis Staples of 20 Bryn Mead, Llanelli and to Kevin Patrick O’Keefe of 5 Heol Daniel, Llanelli. They were each operating two drift nets of some 200 metres in length; these were seized by the Officers.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charge and had an additional £15 victim surcharge added to the bill.

PRESS RELEASE 10/09 :
A Tenby fisherman had fines of £500 and costs of £200 imposed upon him after Magistrates sitting in Haverfordwest on 21 December heard how Officers from the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee had discovered undersized Edible Brown Crab on board a boat in Tenby harbour; further searches of premises in Tenby itself also revealed undersized catches.

Officers searched the boat in Tenby on 21 July 09 and found a catch of crab 60% of which was undersized. The next day in Lower Park Rd, a further 56 kilos were discovered amongst frozen crab stored for whelk bait.

Prices for brown crab have dwindled over recent years and many local fishermen now concentrate on potting for whelks, supplying lucrative Far Eastern markets. But the Court agreed with the Committee who brought the prosecution, that the use of undersized specimens as bait in the whelk fishery was unsustainable and unacceptable.

Lewis Creese of 7 Knowling Mead, Tenby pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and told the court that bait had been scarce for his whelk operation in the summer and that the two hauls in which he had retained undersized for the purpose were to be the only ones of the year.

The crabs seized by Fishery Officers were ordered forfeit for destruction and an additional £15 victim surcharge was added to the bill.

PRESS RELEASE 01/10 : Catch contained undersized whelk
A Tenby fisherman had fines of £750 and costs of £400 imposed upon him after Magistrates sitting in Haverfordwest on 13 January heard how Officers from the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee had discovered undersized Whelks within catches taken by his boat landed in Saundersfoot Harbour.
Officers had inspected catches of whelk being landed on 17 April 2009; two aggregate bags amounting to some 900kg from the defendant’s boat were found to contain more than 40% which were undersized.

The fishery for whelks has grown to be of major importance both in Wales and across the UK after markets in the Far East were developed in the mid 1990’s. Following an initial boom-and-bust scenario, management measures including a minimum size and a closed season were introduced to ensure a sustainable future for the fishery.

Neil Thomas of 10 Haytor Gardens, Tenby pleaded not-guilty to the charge and told the court that Fishery Officers had failed to ascertain the true ownership of the whelks which had been landed on his behalf; that samples taken by the Officers were not representative of the catch as a whole; and that sub-species of whelk may have been present to which the regulations did not apply. The Court rejected all these arguments and duly convicted him on the charge.

PRESS RELEASE 02/10 :
A Devon trawler skipper and the vessel’s owners had penalties totalling £1060 imposed upon them after Magistrates sitting in Swansea on 21 January heard how Officers from the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee had discovered undersized Plaice within catches inspected aboard the vessel ‘Our Josie Grace’ boarded off the Gower coast.

Officers had inspected catches aboard the trawler as it fished on 15 September 2009; within a total of 252 plaice on board, 92 (36%) were below the minimum landing size of 27cm and as such should have been returned to the sea.

The Court heard how the problems of discarded fish from trawls was one of the greatest challenges facing the sustainability of that method of fishing. But where fish may survive, as plaice from the shallow waters of the Bristol Channel could, it was important they were given that chance.

Counsel for the defendants, Steven Flyn told the court that the plaice concerned were saved separately with similar quantities of flounders and dabs for which no minimum size was set, for the purpose of using them as bait in lobster pots. An inexperienced crewman had included the plaice whilst working without supervision. As bait the fish had minimal market value.

Mr Marcus White of Slade Valley Road, Ilfracombe, the skipper; and S & P Trawlers Ltd of Grosvenor House, New Road, Brixham, the owners both pleaded guilty to the charges. They were fined £350 and £500 respectively; both were ordered to pay £90 in prosecution costs plus a £15 victim surcharge. The seized fish were ordered to be destroyed.

PRESS RELEASE 03/10 : Drift nets fished in prohibited area
A Kidwelly fisherman had penalties totalling £1165 imposed upon him after Magistrates sitting in Llanelli on 1 March heard how Officers from the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee had discovered two drift nets deployed by him in a prohibited area in north Carmarthen Bay.

Officers came upon the boat ‘Cabin Boy’ in the early hours of 14 September 2009 whilst on patrol from the Committee’s Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’.

The Court heard that prohibited areas had been established in Carmarthen Bay around river estuary mouths to prevent the interception of migrating salmon and sea trout. They also served to prevent the over exploitation of other sea fish such as bass when they were vulnerable to fishing in shallow channels.
The Defendant, Thomas Austin Withers of Swn Y Mor, Coastal Road, Kidwelly told the court he had shot his nets outside the prohibited area but they had drifted inside when he lost control of them in strong tides. He was fined £1000 and ordered to pay £150 towards prosecution costs. A victim surcharge of £15 was added to the bill.