The codling Questions

[northeast1]

Well the "experts" said due to last two winters being rather cold that it was perfect spawning conditions for the codling in our waters. With the amount of 1-4lb fish around they may of been right as all rough ground marks seem to be chucking up good numbers NE coast wide.

The question(s) are...

Can they make it to spawning size...they say 5lb is around the normal size for a cod to spawn but reaserch shows that areas with fewer cod see's them spawning alittle bit smaller, if half do make it then it could be bumper years ahead (thats if the goverment can control the fish stocks abit better)?

Also why are we seeing so many codling on the rough ground yet the wrecks off shore are holding very few fish and the general size is well down?

Most years in May,June codling are full of (spelling) Langastines but this year the few that we have taken and it is a few as 90% goes back have been full of fish or starfish etc, is this because the quota on Longatistines was increased this year and we now have more boats working our very productive grounds for them?

Mackerel and Ling..little off the codling topic but where the hell are they?? showing in small numbers all over but not what you would expect. Ling around the 3-7lb mark at this time of the year should be on most wrecks and with a good drift and bait jumping in the boat..Mackerel every port from Liverpool on the west coast to Brid on the east coast and around Scotland are reporting low to no mackerel numbers showing, WSF reports all paint the same picture....they vanished...water temp maybe or jsut the fact the Iceland fleet has for the second year been able to fish for them in the breading shoals with out quotas?

Can you tell i am bored tonight

[safc]

The fact that every boat in the north east seems to be bringing every fish they catch home isnt going to help

[paul.longstaff]

10 danish trawlers this is were the mackeral are.

[northeast1]

The fact that every boat in the north east seems to be bringing every fish they catch home isnt going to help

Not every boat :0) i have kept a grand total of 6 cod this season, the rest put back..family and friends get the odd one but rather see them go back..also helps that i dont eat anything from the sea..that is why i dont have much interest in fishing for the smaller fish unless times are hard or you just want to feel a fresh run codling fighting on a light rod rather than a bigger nod then a lump

[Kartonkel]

I caught an ok ling yesterday!

The mackies are spoilt like us and don't swim in cold water

Have look at the sea temps:

North Atlantic - Surf Charts - Magicseaweed.com

Once the 14+ water hits us, we will see them. A couple of weeks ago, we were at 8C!!

It's warming up rapidly.

I observe the same temperature effect with the tuna in Cap Town (they need 18C) and our maces are mini-tuna

[mark]

this year, iceland awarded themselves a 150,000 ton mackeral quota, faroes 160,000 tons. massively above what the EU recommends by a huge amount way

they fish the north atlantic right in the migration route

if they repeat it again next year they will be gone the way of the herring

999 TripleNine are wanting to take between 400,000 and 500,000 tons of sand eels this year

the irony of all that is, cod will increase in numbers but there will be feck all left for them to eat, so we'll be back to square one and the british fleet will get blamed for over fishing cod!

langoustine (nephrops) fishery is still very healthy. there's a heap of self imposed bans on fishing for them in the known north north sea cod spawning grounds - although french/spanish boats ignore that as its not formal, not that that would make a difference - they have been fishing the 'windsock' area since the EU closed it over 10 years ago. Some lads have been fishing langoustine with fish escape 'hatches' in the nets that you can stand up in! langoustine swim backwards straight past the hole. Cod see the hole and swim forwards out of it

cod catch is up all over the place, but no quota being released. there are heaps of 'armchair skippers' that own quota and are leasing it out for stupid money. some of my mates have been paying 2 grand per ton for cod quota, that fetches them about 2 grand a ton at the market - just so they don't have to hoy it back dead.

the whole things a total abortion

[northeast1]

It is silly, i was aware of the mackerel bashing in epic numbers, spent abit of time like yourself looking into where they have been fishing and how much they maybe taken and as you say the way its going unless stopped...mackerel will be rare in our waters like the herring as they are nailing them in the spawning shoals then the migration shoals to our area.

Sad news...wounder if ling like coalie as a bait

[Norman]

My view for what it's worth is that there is no shortage of Cod, they simply go where the food is which at the moment is NOT on the wrecks, (or at least the close ones).
Speaking only for the tyne wrecks but I suspect amble hartlepool etc are similar. We have caught on the wrecks this season (and I've physically been to and tried most of the common tyne wrecks) but in the main the fish are so different looking from the hard ground fish. The wreck fish have a bit fin damage and skin damage and are obviously underfed compared with the fat or plump clean looking ground fish that fight so much harder on the take. Once the smaller prey get to the wrecks followed by the mackerel feeding on them I'm sure we'll see plenty of cod follow but for now I got to agree with previous posts it's the lack of bait fish keeping them away.
Why would they go to a barren hugry wreck ..... ?

It'll all change when the water warms and the baitfish arrive ..... until then, enjoy the hard ground sport (and save on the fuel )

norm

[kayos]

The fact that every boat in the north east seems to be bringing every fish they catch home isnt going to help

A mere drop in the ocean compared to what the trawlers take and makes no discernible difference whatsoever to fish stocks.

[big cod]

The fact that every boat in the north east seems to be bringing every fish they catch home isnt going to help

Open your eyes very wide and take a good look at this this goes on every day out in the big sea and thats besides the undersized cod that gets shovelled back dead on top i know lads persoanlly who work commercial and are getting anything upto 1000 boxes of cod every week and they are big cod just like in this picture.



paul.

[Ankle.Biter]

The fact that every boat in the north east seems to be bringing every fish they catch home isnt going to help

I have to agree. I know of one charter skipper that brought 300 small cod home. Picked up a second party to do the same.

I think these are the same people who would have ago at trawlers hoovering up mackeral.

It not sustainable and we will pay the price.