A good result for forum members.

[davem2005]

I got a call this morning from a forum member to say a commercial was shooting seals with an air rifle.

I totally respect the fact that the person making that call does not want his name inolved so if you are reading this there is no need to comment.

I rang the fisheries protection vessel...not their jurisdiction as it was 100 yards off south shields pier...advised to ring the marine police. Which I did....They rang the angler and phoned me back to say " We have not done a risk assesment for firearms offences at sea so wont go out. But we will collar him when he lands".

Which they did and told me he admitted the offence and was given a caution.

So in some ways a good result ...unless you are the seal swimming round with 4 air rifle pellets in you. It wont stop here. That fisherman was let off. They are allowed to shoot seals but they must use the right gun. If I took my air rifle and shot dogs in the local park I would not be here now I would be in jail...this guy broke a **** load of laws and got away with it...for the simple reason that there has not been a similar occurence....but when it happened they responded. Rest assured I will not let it stop at a caution

Anglers can be the eyes watching our inshore seas....no one has been doing it and they have just been getting away with murder...quite literallly.

Thanks for that fone call this morning...I will take it further because its a first.

\NO commercial has been prosecuted for firearms offences to my knowledge...s first for nesa..

Anglers have spent a lot of time proving they are a stake holder in our seas andthis is exactly the kind of thing that proves commercials are not the whiter than white people that they are trying to claim to be.

Thanks for the call...and happy to take any more.

Cheers
Dave

[KeithB]

\NO commercial has been prosecuted for firearms offences to my knowledge...s first for nesa..

Dave,

do you not think you should of run it by the NESA site owner / Admin before "crediting" NESA with such involvement in legal proceedings?

[Sigsy]

I had no idea it was ok to shoot seals, even with the "right" gun.

IMO well done lads

[Charlton]

reading your post Dave, would think the RSPCA or one of the wildlife groups would be a better bet than the police, cruelty to animals, not just because he is a commercial fisherman. Yes sigsy the right gun is normally a 303, it is still legal to shoot seals tampering with salmon nets, as far as I know.

[ScottyJim]

Hi Dave. There was a similar prosecution brought North of the border a little while ago where a fisherman shot a seal on the shore. I know Scottish law is different from English law but the details are at the following link.
The Courier: Taking you to the heart of Tayside and Fife
The fisherman was found not guilty. As with much legislation, it appears that definitions are ambiguous, and that doesn't help pinning down these situations.

[paulthespark]

i can,t belive anyone would want to shoot a wonderful marine creature like a seal with any type of gun. when will idiots like this man realise ,that when you have a heathy population of mammal marine predetors,ie seals, dolphins,porpioses and whales you have to have a healthy fish stock to sustain these lovely animals .in other words the more large predetors you have swimming in our seas ,the more fish there must be for everyone.

[davem2005]

Kieth,
Had not looked at it is as involving Nesa more as a point of without nesa and the way it has brought NE anglers in touch with one another no action would have been taken. Which considering the guy got a caution hardly constitutes legal action.

I think that many people are unaware that it is legal to shoot seals and most think it an abhorent practice. Its obvious that this is something that is un monitored and the few regulations in place are unenforced. It was quite a shock to be told by the Marine Police that "fishermen regularly take out shotguns to scare away seals" and they were not aware that there is a legal minimum energy a weapon must have, which as Alan says is a .303 or .308 Win. Both of which it is illegal to fire within 200 yards of a public place.

One of the people most at risk from this unregulated shooting is anglers.

I will contact the RSPCA and see what they have to say.

Cheers
Dave

[Charlie_Thompson]

I'm no expert and have been seriously on one side of the fence a long time ago - Vegetarian animal rights and all that. I believe I have a more balanced approach now but don't pretend I have all of the facts to hand. It seems to me that we manage our fellow creatures in all sorts of ways. We are trying to eradicate malaria bearing mosquitos, we don't like rats running around our restaurants, we never invite wasps inside for a cup of tea and a slice of cake etc.

Seals are another animal who's interests conflict with ours sometimes, like it or lump it, we are top of the foodchain and are able to react. Killing seals may be justified IMO. Just cos they look like little old men when they're bobbing about shouldn't mean we treat tham any diferrently to the nasty spider what gets bashed on the head and smeared all up the wall.

[Charlie_Thompson]

a commercial

You use that term like the "N" word Dave

[davem2005]

Took me a while to work out which N word.

Use it as a way to differentiate between an RSA and someone who earns his living from the sea. A phrase like "a boat fisherman" could be anyone at sea in a boat.

In places where humans and animals come into conflict the human will always win, particularly the one holding a .303 . But I dont agree with causing suffering by breaking laws designed to humanely dispatch animals where it is deemed necessary.

No one would buy a mouse trap that captured a mouse then slowly squeezed it to death.

[mark]

No one would buy a mouse trap that captured a mouse then slowly squeezed it to death.

I've got 2 of them. they're called cats

[Charlie_Thompson]

My hippy hunter post wasn't fired in your direction Dave

[Charlie_Thompson]

I've got 2 of them. they're called cats

Why would you give your squeezy mousetraps names?