Yesterdays MCZ Netgain meeting

[Charlton]

Thanks for all your efforts guys, at least we are being represented by people who know what they are going on about. It may have taken "us" and by us i mean the sport as a whole, years to get a voice, hopefully those in high places will listen to them and not just ride rough-shod over us as they have done in the past, thanks again your doing a grand and valuable job.

don't forget the dog jamie

[Stores]

Alan I know this is an open forum and feel free to answer in private if more appropriate, but is there a hidden agenda behind the lack of information about the inter tidal areas? If there is evidence and it's not for general consumption at the minute when will it surface?...and who will suffer as a result?

Sorry but the conspiracy theorist in me is in gear 24/7 at the minute.

[Mike.Haley]

The next meeting is on the 10th &11th May if any of you have locations or species that you believe needs protecting I would be happy to put it to the hub and it will be considered.

Les

The only species I can see that needs protection is Sea Anglers. They way we are being treated by A.T. JNCC and netGain we are the only endangered species on any list.
We are a bit like mushrooms at the moment "kept in the dark and fed on s***t".
NetgGain has never been forthcoming with any information from the start and you can understand why there is very little attendance at any future meetings.
Everybody gets the same idea
Why bother going cos they never tell us anything!!!!.
I am still waiting for e-mails from the last meeting at Hull.

David, Its not a conspiracy. Its true.

[Charlton]

David i have got more information about the interdal area, most of which came from NE by various means, and Net gain have yet to see any of it. If NE have all the car registrations of the anglers who use various bait collecting areas, just imagine what other information they have. i don't realy balme Netgain, I think and have made this common knowledge to them, that they are being used bu JNCC and NE, as Mike says the only endangered species is US.

[loopy]

Maps

Just realeased MCZ Interactive Map

[loopy]

Two day MCZ meeting Blythe. 21/22/10/10.
I will try and keep this short and simple as the process is very complex. Any one or club wanting more detail please contact me via PM or through the Amble SAC website Amble Sea Angling Club and for your information I have been successful in my application to and have been appointed to the soon to be Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) unfortunately we have no other RSA on the Authority the game anglers managed to get a bit more representation than us along with the National Trust and other conservation groups such as the European Marine site that runs North from Alnmouth, 3 under 10m commercial fishermen and one over 10m, various Unitary County Councillors along with the new Marine Management Office, Natural England and the Environment Agency. This Authority will come into force next Year with far greater powers than the current NSFC to the point the NIFCA will be able to bring in emergency byelaws immediately for up to one year covering out to the 6 mile limit and will enforce MCZ restrictions out to that limit. So this Authority I believe in the future will have the power to regulate many activities up to the highest mean tide level and along all estuaries and tidal rivers, food for thought. This brings me into the last two days. Sam Harris also attended the meeting on the Thursday and has arranged for netgain to be available at the Nissan Boat and Angling show on the 13th and 14th November along with the possibility of a radio interview with the project manager Steve Barnard I am sure if it comes off Sam will give us details. So for those of you that have answered questionnaires or have been interviewed by the netgain team contributed to the work of the first day by supplying a data map of RSA activity again unfortunately we did not have enough, so some of the coast shows no RSA activity at all but the other data sets we had from commercial fishermen and conservation agency where full on with the exception of some inshore commercial fishermen, needless to say the wind farms Oil and Crown Estates sent there best young brains from London. So to give you a feel for the process at the last meeting we refused basically to draw lines that could be made public because the data was non existent this time we had much more data and we had to put pen to paper. So to try and cut a long story short we have drawn lines in the sea and along the seashore all having caveats to them on control/ management measures regarding activities within those areas also our degree of confidence in the area. The area we have to cover as set down by the Ecological Network Guidelines as compiled by DEFRA is very complex, this has to cover habitat, geology, named species along with many other complex points of interest. The whole group was put into three tables mine having Natural England, Crown Estates, RSPB, Friends of the Earth, commercial fisherman, MMO, INCA( wildlife charity) All data was considered and we drew our lines until about 5pm that day along with the caveats for the draft MCZ we had created. Overnight all data was imputed into the GIS (digital map) and the three tables MCZ were overlaid on one another we then had to reach a consensus as a group to the areas drawn, so the day was made up of the three tables joining the lines together until a consensus was met along with taking out and adjusting areas to comply with the ENG. The most important thing was that all caveats would remain. At this stage we have nothing to fear regarding RSA and the reports I have from other parts of the country are the same but we will be getting down to the detail soon in the next round and I await the restrictions and management controls that some conservation groups may wish to try and get included on the bait collection and digging front. Once again please give data to netgain staff who may come along the shore and ask you for an interview you do not have to be specific about locations but it all helps RSA reps to fight your corner and fight we must, or put it like this if a maps shows no RSA activity what is the harm in making it a no take or catch zone, we have got to be in it to win it because the other conservation group stakeholders and the scientist will make the decision for us. The above data and maps will be made public soon and I will provide the link as soon as it is available. I can tell you we have organised a meeting with netgain and natural England before the next round to discuss the bait digging issue and either I or Alan Charlton will update you on that. Alan Charlton sends his apologies but he had to take a holiday some time.
Mentally knackered
Les

[tonyfromalnwick]

Thanks for the update Les.

I'll drop your bucket off tomorrow....I forgot I'd put it in the greenhouse until today !

[sam harris]

Hi Lads.
There will be representatives from Net Gain at the N.E. Sea Angling and Boat Show on Sat.and Sun. 13th. & 14th. November as they have taken a stand there. They have been warned by myself and Les to expect some "Flak" from you gentlemen. They will have plenty of brochures and maps wih them for anglers to have a look at and they are expecting a hard time from you all.
Tight Lines, Sam.

[Red5]

Cheers Les.....Se mate we all do love you!

You can give Net gain my details for any info they may require, sadly as I said to you regarding the IFCA, I was sadly let down a bit there!

Keep up the good work, you as well Sam.

[loopy]

Maps of possible MCZ

This is the full report from Net Gain on the last meeting I attended, please be patient with the report and you will get to the mapping section and it will give you some idea of the lines drawn so far, be assured these are far from set in stone as yet, with no control or management measures in place and this process once finished next year will go to Natural England and then onto another consultation prior to being sighed off by the minister and I suspect control bye laws will have to be made by the new Northumberland IFCA. I have been to and am about to attend various meetings regarding the above mainly around the bait digging issue and will update you as soon as I have something to tell.
This is a PDF so you will need Adobe to read it.
Les

http://www.netgainmcz.org/docs/Hub21-10Report-NE-revisedSD_101105.pdf

[Stores]

Thanks for the update Les. You're right - it does take a while to get your head round it. I'll look at it again but a quick question, especially after your comment regarding the mean high tide mark - am I right in thinking that map area NG 2.19 is an area identified as a possible MCZ and, if so, what are it's geographical boundaries? I hope it's not implying what I think it might be.

[tonyfromalnwick]

I get the impression that RSA 's aren't going to be affected ?
Possibly the bait digging issue might have to be looked at.

[loopy]

Stores this has been so complex and I have spent so much time self learning and translating Latin and basic marine biology just to stay in the game at a very basic level, 99% of all other stakeholders are employed by there sector and do this full time and are mainly academics and they get paid for it, but the time has come in my life to try and put something back into RSA it has given me 54 years of fantastic pleasure and still does. If you want a full explanation PM me and I will give you my phone number. OK basically the red lines go out 3 miles, 6, miles and 12, the coastal strip you see (NG 2.19) is out to 3 miles add that to the existing European Marine Site that runs from Alnmouth north to Berwick you have most of the coast of Northumberland as the amount of habitat we must include and protect including species ls present along that part of the coast and remember up the estuaries as well, they may well need more but the renewable sector are fighting hard around Blythe because of the wind farms and the socio economic impact it will have i.e. jobs in the North East including the possibility of old ship yards being re opened. The Durham coast will be looked at in the next round. Back to your implied point, it is why I am there because your concerns are mine regarding that area, this is why we must try and stay in the game and be represented.
The 3 mile strip has not been discussed in detail as yet with no suggested management or control caveats, I believe as I have allays done this is going to be be contentious re bait digging. Any control methods will probably be through bye laws set by the newly formed Northumberland IFCA that takes over from the SFC next April luckily I managed to get selected for that after a long interview process to represent RSA in Northumberland but I am one vote out of 21. Remember these line are not in stone by any means and the more people that contact me and give me views, I then have something to fight with unfortunately the view that I am given mostly is "what a load of B....ks" does not help to much and makes you think "why"

Les

[loopy]

Tony at this point in time it is impossible to say, there will be some effect to RSA in boats and charter skippers with article 55 and log books, how and indeed if it is enforced is another matter. If there is any restriction on shore it will be regarding disturbance rather than destruction to habitat. I took a photograph of you the other week at Druridge Bay and in the background are land Yachts, all different kinds of para/ kite powered vehicles/surfers, horses and the local dog training school with about 30 dogs running around unfortunately it does not capture the sound of the model aircraft that are now being flown in the area or you very quietly talking to yourself about why you had not caught anything yet, I did see a very startled Oyster catcher at that point mind.

[Mike.Haley]

NetGain were at the North East Sea Angling and Boat Show today and they will be there tomorrow with map and charts and everything, so why not go along and ask them to explain it all in plain english?