Yesterdays MCZ Netgain meeting

[Stores]

Thanks for pointing out the "rocky" bit Les.....Budle Bay wouldn't fit into that very well and I hope you don't think I was criticising the decisions made - a little knowledge is often a dangerous thing, as they say.

Reading other comments elsewhere every area seems to have its "Loopy" and the masses rely on them to keep them up to speed but there are so many alternative views (and they hide their agenda so well) that getting to the truth is really difficult. Lets hope Hull goes well.

One thing Les..........................

"When it returns to JNCC and NE there will be another public consolation by government."

Hope you're not tempting fate..................hope it's a public consultation lol.......sorry, mate - couldn't resist it.

[loopy]

Mcz

David, yes a public consultation but don't get to excited as we had a stakeholder led consultation they will ask the question why did you not get involved at the stakeholder consultation stage and goverment tend not to give you to much credence unless you are a known stakeholder with a track record.
David to much going on and I suspect that any MCZ over the 6 mile limit to the median line will not be enforced for several years due to CFP reform so no equality there but it will be full on within the 6 mile limit. Remember the government under the MACAA and by 2012 is committed to developing an "ecologically coherent network" of marine protected areas to provide for a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem, the law says this network must be "understood and supported" by sea users. ?? some statement that.

[loopy]

Final report

[ARCHIVED CONTENT]

[Stores]

Hi Les, just got back from a 3 day golfing / boozing weekend in North Wales. Will have a read tomorrow. Can I ask as many members of NESA to do the same.

[loopy]

Hi Dave, hope you are well and recover from your Golf ! Interesting times, the pressure is on for the next few years as the dates for all EU directives loom towards us, IFCAs and DEFRA and the MMO are under more pressure than ever. We will have the public consultation in a few months seems the pressure groups are after the commercials and as for Cod and the North Sea ??? Not to mention the word bait digging/collecting a few IFCAs are looking at this as they are obliged to in law.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/9046430/Prince-of-Wales-launches-fight-to-save-overexploited-oceans-from-overfishing.html

Just 100 cod left in North Sea - Telegraph

http://www.fish2fork.com/en-GB/news-index/Scallop-dredgers-and-trawlers-face-expulson-from-a-quarter-of-inshore-waters.aspx

The last link is very worrying and could prove interesting when MCZs are established under the same Habitat directive.Again after Client Earth and the Marine Conservation Society threatened the UK government with a judicial review and they won.

[Stores]

Had a quick look through Les - see it's continued to be written to alienate the vast majority of anglers. How accurate is this summary?

1. The Berwickshire Reference Area will be a no take zone - so no bait collecting or fishing or turning over rocks or playing in the rock pools.

"Intertidal underboulder communities are on the UK List of Priority Species and Habitats (UK BAP). Subject to natural change, recover the intertidal underboulder communities to favourable condition by 2020 and maintain thereafter" (quote)

"Reference areas should be managed to remove or prevent all extraction, deposition or human-derived disturbance and damage." (quote)

2. Between Coquet Island and St Marys the priority is to maintain the present situation but there is the possibility in the future to prevent digging or crab collection if the status quo isn't perceived to be being maintained -

"Human activities which cause these pressures will need to be managed if they prevent the conservation objectives from being achieved to ensure the rMCZ contributes to an ecologically coherent and well-managed network of Marine Protected Areas" (quote)

3. The Aln Estuary is under greater threat than we presumed despite your previous work at excluding it from the plans.

[Darnc]

Heavy thread this one I like to go fishing for a relaxation and enjoyment, got a headache after reading this

[Stores]

Heavy thread this one I like to go fishing for a relaxation and enjoyment, got a headache after reading this

Couldn't agree more Darnc. Hope it doesn't get to the stage where the groups opposed to the RSA become so politically and morally powerful that you can't enjoy your peace and quiet.

[loopy]

Dave you are right but the document is not just for anglers, other groups especially the ones that do all the conservation RSPB walkers MCS (divers) are very active and pushing for what they want, if we don't buckle down and do the same and argue the fact that if an area is set to maintain as we are in our area there is no need to do anything, the temptation of all Authority's is to meddle with a management plan to to maintain the status . Our reference area is as good as we could get fairly inaccessible and is rarely fished and in a very good state to be a true reference area. I believe the report to be accurate. Bait digging will be the problem as I have maintained all along, I hope to have some news on that before Christmas and I will be fighting the corner of the angler but we once again are having major problems with big groups at night on Holy Island taking rag by the dustbin full from a protected area so they are forcing the issue. The warden used to be very understanding about a few local lads taking what they needed for a days fishing but we will all suffer as a consequence. The rag farm shutting down in Northumberland and Wales has not helped as it has left a hole to be filled, the demand remains, the price goes up and these groups of illegal diggers will go out, what is the answer ? On the Aln there are no plans at all to change anything except we have done and will be doing fish surveys, we are out again this week. Again on the Aln we will be the makers of our own destiny we have had two incidents after Club fishing matches, dead flounders about 15 of them all found in one spot by the road bridge the parish council complained, fishing litter is another I just am unable to defend these points. So how do we educate our anglers as to the consequences of their actions? Lets not even talk about Amble and Blythe pier. I am attending the joint AONB and EMS annual forum and will get an update on bait digging and litter from them. Just have to keep banging the drum I have asked as indeed Alan Charlton has in vain to get an angler from south of the Tyne to represent us on the IFCA as they currently have a vacancy for a RSA after Stuart McPherson retired. Darnc I know it is heavy, thank you for taking the time to read it, I have enjoyed 40 years of unregulated sea fishing and hope by trying to keep up and in with the politics of it all I could help maintain that status.

[Red5]

Dave you are right but the document is not just for anglers, other groups especially the ones that do all the conservation RSPB walkers MCS (divers) are very active and pushing for what they want, if we don't buckle down and do the same and argue the fact that if an area is set to maintain as we are in our area there is no need to do anything, the temptation of all Authority's is to meddle with a management plan to to maintain the status . Our reference area is as good as we could get fairly inaccessible and is rarely fished and in a very good state to be a true reference area. I believe the report to be accurate. Bait digging will be the problem as I have maintained all along, I hope to have some news on that before Christmas and I will be fighting the corner of the angler but we once again are having major problems with big groups at night on Holy Island taking rag by the dustbin full from a protected area so they are forcing the issue. The warden used to be very understanding about a few local lads taking what they needed for a days fishing but we will all suffer as a consequence. The rag farm shutting down in Northumberland and Wales has not helped as it has left a hole to be filled, the demand remains, the price goes up and these groups of illegal diggers will go out, what is the answer ? On the Aln there are no plans at all to change anything except we have done and will be doing fish surveys, we are out again this week. Again on the Aln we will be the makers of our own destiny we have had two incidents after Club fishing matches, dead flounders about 15 of them all found in one spot by the road bridge the parish council complained, fishing litter is another I just am unable to defend these points. So how do we educate our anglers as to the consequences of their actions? Lets not even talk about Amble and Blythe pier. I am attending the joint AONB and EMS annual forum and will get an update on bait digging and litter from them. Just have to keep banging the drum I have asked as indeed Alan Charlton has in vain to get an angler from south of the Tyne to represent us on the IFCA as they currently have a vacancy for a RSA after Stuart McPherson retired. Darnc I know it is heavy, thank you for taking the time to read it, I have enjoyed 40 years of unregulated sea fishing and hope by trying to keep up and in with the politics of it all I could help maintain that status.

Thanks again for that Les....It's encouragaing to know that we have someone of your calibre fighting our corner....And for nothing other than the love of the sport!

[Darnc]

Dave you are right but the document is not just for anglers, other groups especially the ones that do all the conservation RSPB walkers MCS (divers) are very active and pushing for what they want, if we don't buckle down and do the same and argue the fact that if an area is set to maintain as we are in our area there is no need to do anything, the temptation of all Authority's is to meddle with a management plan to to maintain the status . Our reference area is as good as we could get fairly inaccessible and is rarely fished and in a very good state to be a true reference area. I believe the report to be accurate. Bait digging will be the problem as I have maintained all along, I hope to have some news on that before Christmas and I will be fighting the corner of the angler but we once again are having major problems with big groups at night on Holy Island taking rag by the dustbin full from a protected area so they are forcing the issue. The warden used to be very understanding about a few local lads taking what they needed for a days fishing but we will all suffer as a consequence. The rag farm shutting down in Northumberland and Wales has not helped as it has left a hole to be filled, the demand remains, the price goes up and these groups of illegal diggers will go out, what is the answer ? On the Aln there are no plans at all to change anything except we have done and will be doing fish surveys, we are out again this week. Again on the Aln we will be the makers of our own destiny we have had two incidents after Club fishing matches, dead flounders about 15 of them all found in one spot by the road bridge the parish council complained, fishing litter is another I just am unable to defend these points. So how do we educate our anglers as to the consequences of their actions? Lets not even talk about Amble and Blythe pier. I am attending the joint AONB and EMS annual forum and will get an update on bait digging and litter from them. Just have to keep banging the drum I have asked as indeed Alan Charlton has in vain to get an angler from south of the Tyne to represent us on the IFCA as they currently have a vacancy for a RSA after Stuart McPherson retired. Darnc I know it is heavy, thank you for taking the time to read it, I have enjoyed 40 years of unregulated sea fishing and hope by trying to keep up and in with the politics of it all I could help maintain that status.

Hope you didn't take my comment the wrong way I know you's are doing good work and I appreciate it must take a lot of your time but I did read all your reports you have posted will continue to read them, cheers
Darren

[loopy]

None taken Darren

[Stores]

Agree with everything you say Les, although I thought the line of the MCZs didn't encroach past the headlands. NG13a certainly does - perhaps I misunderstood.

Recieved an e-mail from the MCS today (the Divers site) and they are pushing for all 127 MCZs to be designated. Their own figures suggest that that's 27% of our seas, and most of that figure is coastline - either the shoreline or that of the inshore fleet. There is an on line petition to sign, pledges to make and a 1 to 7 challenge to complete (commit to the 127 and get 7 of your friends to do the same etc.).

It makes our apathy all the more apparent. Unless we get mobilised we'll be forever looking over our shoulders whilst fishing, hoping the IFCA man isn't going to catch us.

[loopy]

Dave I also received the e-mail and it is doing the rounds of various forums. I knew some time ago that this government would not implement them all after they asked for more evidence hence the delay in the MCZ program. I am led to under stand that it will be in 3 stages over a longer period of time. The MCS who along with Client earth have successfully challenged the government on a legal point once this year will not give up and no doubt find another legal angle as well as drumming up people power. The NIFCA will be holding three open evenings next week , to allow divers, anglers, commercials anybody who considers themselves a stakeholder. A chance to talk and ask question with the NIFCA, Sea Angling 2012, bait digging, bye law review (nets) spring to mind. I have sent invitations to all Northumberland RSA clubs, put it in all the papers and on forums, these meetings are informal and you can just drop in, even putting on a sandwich and tea. Will report back on interest in Northumberland and North Tyneside.

[airborne]

Ukip

VOTE UKIP, could solve a few problems



But good work so far lads, very interesting read