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Mike Concannon has given permission to distribute this report which appears on his website.
Thanks Mike :-)
My long time good friend, Russ Symons, the respected angling writer and photographer, who lives in Plymouth, and is a regular contributor to "Sea Angler" magazine was there at my invitation, together with another very good pal, Russell Weston, from Plympton, who is the Managing Director of Snowbee UK Ltd, who manufacture, import, wholesale and retail an excellent range of very high quality fly fishing and sea angling equipment.
There were around a dozen of us at the meeting which included Peter Macconnell, who is the Chairman of BASS (the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society). Peter, who is a sea angling a 'member' of the "Angling Trust" Marine Committee is also a 'member' of the Angling Trust Marine Conservation Group. Peter is the existing lone recreational sea angling representative on the "Finding Sanctuary" Steering Group, which is comprised of around 40 diverse members, who epitomize the broad spectrum of stakeholders, which includes a collection of interests, such as divers, canoeists, scientists, boat users, commercial fishermen, bird watchers, to name just a few. It is properly and collectively funded.
Peter will be joined by a 2nd recreational sea angling representative, once interviews of three prospective candidates have been completed in the next few weeks. Their purpose is to identify the person who can bring most to the project, in terms of those whom he or she may represent, together with extensive knowledge and commitment.
The "Steering Group" provides an interface between the "Finding Sanctuary" project team and its many dedicated stakeholders.
Andy Rye, Chairman of the Plymouth Federation, which represents more than 30 recreational sea angling clubs based in the Plymouth area was there, together with representatives of angling clubs from Dorset and beyond. I won't name everyone, but there are many responsible members of the sea angling community who have thoroughly involved themselves in this most worthwhile project.
I am pleased to be personally associated with the Finding Sanctuary project, which has my unstinting support. This is the 3rd meeting I have attended during the past 2 years.
For those of you unfamiliar with the "Finding Sanctuary" project, let me give you a very brief overview. To learn a great deal more, you can visit their informative web site at Home » Finding Sanctuary
The "Finding Sanctuary" project came into being around 3 or 4 years ago. It was initially something of a pilot scheme until the middle of last year, when it gained full recognition, due to its incorporation into the Marine Bill, which introduced the concept of "Developing a sustained approach to planning Marine Protected Areas".
There are four regional projects running around the UK coastline, of which "Finding Sanctuary" is but one. The other three are titled the Irish Sea MCZ project; the North Sea MCZ project and the Eastern Channel MCZ project, and of course "Finding Sanctuary" is our local one, here in the South West, and exists in partnership with some notable sponsors who include, Natural England; Dorset County Council; Devon County Council; Cornwall County Council; The South West Wildlife Trusts; South West Food and Drink; The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (another UK Crown department); The National Trust; and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The team of full-time data researchers and collators are based at Exeter, under the leadership of Tom Hooper. They are charged with responsibility for the South West. Their local remit runs along the coast of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, around Lands End, then back along the north coast, up to and including Somerset. Full time professional liaison officers are presently individually responsible for Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
"Finding Sanctuary" has two very clear goals:
To plan a network of Marine Conservation Zones around the South West of England, to safeguard undersea habitats and marine life.
To help ensure long term sustainability of marine resources.
The team have already interviewed 50% of the Skippers of Commercial Trawlers around the South West. They have answered extremely detailed questionnaires in face-to-face interviews, backed by information from their vessel's logbooks and satellite tracking devices, as to how, where, why they fish and for what species. They have little chance to "pull the wool over the eyes" of the experienced researchers, who were all previously commercial fishermen aboard such vessels.
The data has been extrapolated onto marine charts as a computer model, showing when and where the main thrust of commercial fishing effort is concentrated.
The "Finding Sanctuary" team is now starting to model in the same detail, activities of a cross section of recreational sea anglers, to produce a similar data model, which will be accurately mapped in the same way. To date, around 100 anglers have been interviewed. The meeting discussed how this can be progressed during the next 14 months, until July 2010, when the data collection window will close.
It was proposed that clubs throughout the South West will be approached and asked to provide active sea anglers for interview, in pre-agreed proportions from both boat and shore fishing disciplines. There is reckoned to be somewhere around 250,000 people resident in the South West, who go sea angling at some time each year. Clearly within the time constraints and what is realistically achievable, it would not be possible to interview all of them individually, particularly when one considers that a detailed "face to face" interview may take between 1 and 2 hours to complete.
There will be interviews of local charter Skippers to secure their detailed input too.
There is some difficulty as to how the team can endeavour to obtain information from the estimated 70,000 visiting anglers who travel from other areas of the UK and beyond, each year, to fish our waters. It may be that reliable patterns will have to be primarily constructed from the local sea anglers.
The web site Home » Finding Sanctuary includes an interactive map, known as the "Web GIS", into which an angler will very soon be able to register and sign-in, to input his or her sea angling data. This aspect of the web site will go live in around 2 months from now, once the software contractors have completed the programming.
If you are not one of the anglers who has or will volunteer to be interviewed on a one-to-one basis, then you will very soon be able to incorporate your own detailed input into this project, on-line, via the "Finding Sanctuary" web site, to ensure that your input is properly considered when final decisions are made. This will additionally afford those anglers who travel to our area an opportunity to include their valuable input.
We discussed whether suitable voluntary helpers might perhaps be trained by the "Finding Sanctuary" team, to enable more face-to-face interviews with recreational sea anglers to be accomplished. Such voluntary helpers would be paid their expenses for their help. If you have any views on this, or would like to be considered, we would appreciate your input.
"So what will happen to all this data?" I hear you say. The composite data will be eventually be considered in detail in committee by the "Steering Group", who will argue why, where and how the Marine Conservation Zones will be sited around our particular coastline. Peter Macconnell, told the meeting that conflicting interests will undoubtedly result in some "blood letting" during this process. Perhaps you can better understand why it's so important that we glean sufficient and accurate data from sea anglers, to ensure that decisions can be properly made on our future activities. Without this detailed input, sea anglers would have little hard fact on which to base their case.
The recommendations of the "Steering Group" will be reported to central government in October 2011, and based on those recommendations, final decisions will be made by the Authorities, regarding the boundaries and levels of restriction of human activity in those marine areas.
One delegate asked, "What if there is a change of Government in the meantime?" Tom Hooper responded that the Marine Bill has broad cross party support, so it is unlikely that anything would change.
It is possible that restrictions could include or exclude sea anglers from some areas and activities. Commercial fishing interests and other adverse activities will be similarly controlled.
Make no mistake, significant areas of sea bed will be protected across all types of habitat, whether shingle banks, muddy bottoms, reefs, wrecks, distant from, or near to shore.
You may be suffering from a "Surfeit of surveys", but this one really is being rigorously conducted for all the right reasons. Please give the "Finding Sanctuary" project your unstinting support. Its purpose is the long term sustainability of the valuable marine resources around our coastline. It is in your own interest and for the benefit of your children, grandchildren and future generations.
Russ Symons' View of the "Finding Sanctuary" Meeting - I spoke this evening at some length to Russ Symons regarding yesterday's meeting. Here's what Russ wrote about our day and his musing on the present and future implications for every recreational sea angler. Thanks Russ, I am very grateful for your support and input:
Attended a meeting yesterday at Exmouth with the " Finding Sanctuary" organisation. They have been tasked with identifying areas around our coastline which are candidates to become "Marine Protected Areas".
I have to say that I am supremely suspicious of any attempt to limit our freedom to fish. However, I also realise that something has to be done to protect and conserve our fishstocks and marine environment from the depredations of some commercial fishermen, who believe that they will stop plundering when they are rich enough to retire to Spain....
I listened with interest as the strategy was outlined by Tom Hooper, it quickly became evident that the strategy was entirely dependant on information and intelligence concerning who was fishing where and when. Apparently a lot of commercial fishermen have already been interviewed and specified the areas and species which are important to them.
This meeting was the precursor to a similar exercise with the angling community. How they could meet and talk with willing anglers, so that the information can be compiled and compared with that of the commercial fishermen.
Truthfully I think there are going to to be tears and some strong feelings expressed on both sides of the divide. I know there are other stakeholders involved such as divers, canoeists, bird watchers and the like, but the real battleground is going to be out to the 12 mile limit and beyond. The reefs and wrecks from which the brood stock of many species send their young inshore for the shore anglers to catch, places like the East and West Rutts, The Eddystone Reef, Hand Deeps, Hatt Rock and the wrecks that abound in their vicinity. All prime areas for the Charter Boat fleet, the private boats owned by so many anglers, as well as the gillnetting fleet. I think it will take the wisdom of Solomon to sort this vexed question out.
However, it has been done, and I might add to the satisfaction of both parties. I have been to the Eastern Seaboard of the USA on a few occasions to fish. The first time I went, I was party to several meetings between commercial fishermen and a representative of the Recreational Fishing Alliance. The Striped Bass along that coast is resurgent to the point where it is a model for the rest of the world of what can be achieved if there is a will. There are strictly policed areas on the shore and at sea by highly visible Rangers and special Police. Frankly I was amazed just how seriously this conservation and preservation is taken, so there is a very successful model away from the social engineering and political correctness of the EU.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Mike :-)
My long time good friend, Russ Symons, the respected angling writer and photographer, who lives in Plymouth, and is a regular contributor to "Sea Angler" magazine was there at my invitation, together with another very good pal, Russell Weston, from Plympton, who is the Managing Director of Snowbee UK Ltd, who manufacture, import, wholesale and retail an excellent range of very high quality fly fishing and sea angling equipment.
There were around a dozen of us at the meeting which included Peter Macconnell, who is the Chairman of BASS (the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society). Peter, who is a sea angling a 'member' of the "Angling Trust" Marine Committee is also a 'member' of the Angling Trust Marine Conservation Group. Peter is the existing lone recreational sea angling representative on the "Finding Sanctuary" Steering Group, which is comprised of around 40 diverse members, who epitomize the broad spectrum of stakeholders, which includes a collection of interests, such as divers, canoeists, scientists, boat users, commercial fishermen, bird watchers, to name just a few. It is properly and collectively funded.
Peter will be joined by a 2nd recreational sea angling representative, once interviews of three prospective candidates have been completed in the next few weeks. Their purpose is to identify the person who can bring most to the project, in terms of those whom he or she may represent, together with extensive knowledge and commitment.
The "Steering Group" provides an interface between the "Finding Sanctuary" project team and its many dedicated stakeholders.
Andy Rye, Chairman of the Plymouth Federation, which represents more than 30 recreational sea angling clubs based in the Plymouth area was there, together with representatives of angling clubs from Dorset and beyond. I won't name everyone, but there are many responsible members of the sea angling community who have thoroughly involved themselves in this most worthwhile project.
I am pleased to be personally associated with the Finding Sanctuary project, which has my unstinting support. This is the 3rd meeting I have attended during the past 2 years.
For those of you unfamiliar with the "Finding Sanctuary" project, let me give you a very brief overview. To learn a great deal more, you can visit their informative web site at Home » Finding Sanctuary
The "Finding Sanctuary" project came into being around 3 or 4 years ago. It was initially something of a pilot scheme until the middle of last year, when it gained full recognition, due to its incorporation into the Marine Bill, which introduced the concept of "Developing a sustained approach to planning Marine Protected Areas".
There are four regional projects running around the UK coastline, of which "Finding Sanctuary" is but one. The other three are titled the Irish Sea MCZ project; the North Sea MCZ project and the Eastern Channel MCZ project, and of course "Finding Sanctuary" is our local one, here in the South West, and exists in partnership with some notable sponsors who include, Natural England; Dorset County Council; Devon County Council; Cornwall County Council; The South West Wildlife Trusts; South West Food and Drink; The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (another UK Crown department); The National Trust; and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The team of full-time data researchers and collators are based at Exeter, under the leadership of Tom Hooper. They are charged with responsibility for the South West. Their local remit runs along the coast of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, around Lands End, then back along the north coast, up to and including Somerset. Full time professional liaison officers are presently individually responsible for Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
"Finding Sanctuary" has two very clear goals:
To plan a network of Marine Conservation Zones around the South West of England, to safeguard undersea habitats and marine life.
To help ensure long term sustainability of marine resources.
The team have already interviewed 50% of the Skippers of Commercial Trawlers around the South West. They have answered extremely detailed questionnaires in face-to-face interviews, backed by information from their vessel's logbooks and satellite tracking devices, as to how, where, why they fish and for what species. They have little chance to "pull the wool over the eyes" of the experienced researchers, who were all previously commercial fishermen aboard such vessels.
The data has been extrapolated onto marine charts as a computer model, showing when and where the main thrust of commercial fishing effort is concentrated.
The "Finding Sanctuary" team is now starting to model in the same detail, activities of a cross section of recreational sea anglers, to produce a similar data model, which will be accurately mapped in the same way. To date, around 100 anglers have been interviewed. The meeting discussed how this can be progressed during the next 14 months, until July 2010, when the data collection window will close.
It was proposed that clubs throughout the South West will be approached and asked to provide active sea anglers for interview, in pre-agreed proportions from both boat and shore fishing disciplines. There is reckoned to be somewhere around 250,000 people resident in the South West, who go sea angling at some time each year. Clearly within the time constraints and what is realistically achievable, it would not be possible to interview all of them individually, particularly when one considers that a detailed "face to face" interview may take between 1 and 2 hours to complete.
There will be interviews of local charter Skippers to secure their detailed input too.
There is some difficulty as to how the team can endeavour to obtain information from the estimated 70,000 visiting anglers who travel from other areas of the UK and beyond, each year, to fish our waters. It may be that reliable patterns will have to be primarily constructed from the local sea anglers.
The web site Home » Finding Sanctuary includes an interactive map, known as the "Web GIS", into which an angler will very soon be able to register and sign-in, to input his or her sea angling data. This aspect of the web site will go live in around 2 months from now, once the software contractors have completed the programming.
If you are not one of the anglers who has or will volunteer to be interviewed on a one-to-one basis, then you will very soon be able to incorporate your own detailed input into this project, on-line, via the "Finding Sanctuary" web site, to ensure that your input is properly considered when final decisions are made. This will additionally afford those anglers who travel to our area an opportunity to include their valuable input.
We discussed whether suitable voluntary helpers might perhaps be trained by the "Finding Sanctuary" team, to enable more face-to-face interviews with recreational sea anglers to be accomplished. Such voluntary helpers would be paid their expenses for their help. If you have any views on this, or would like to be considered, we would appreciate your input.
"So what will happen to all this data?" I hear you say. The composite data will be eventually be considered in detail in committee by the "Steering Group", who will argue why, where and how the Marine Conservation Zones will be sited around our particular coastline. Peter Macconnell, told the meeting that conflicting interests will undoubtedly result in some "blood letting" during this process. Perhaps you can better understand why it's so important that we glean sufficient and accurate data from sea anglers, to ensure that decisions can be properly made on our future activities. Without this detailed input, sea anglers would have little hard fact on which to base their case.
The recommendations of the "Steering Group" will be reported to central government in October 2011, and based on those recommendations, final decisions will be made by the Authorities, regarding the boundaries and levels of restriction of human activity in those marine areas.
One delegate asked, "What if there is a change of Government in the meantime?" Tom Hooper responded that the Marine Bill has broad cross party support, so it is unlikely that anything would change.
It is possible that restrictions could include or exclude sea anglers from some areas and activities. Commercial fishing interests and other adverse activities will be similarly controlled.
Make no mistake, significant areas of sea bed will be protected across all types of habitat, whether shingle banks, muddy bottoms, reefs, wrecks, distant from, or near to shore.
You may be suffering from a "Surfeit of surveys", but this one really is being rigorously conducted for all the right reasons. Please give the "Finding Sanctuary" project your unstinting support. Its purpose is the long term sustainability of the valuable marine resources around our coastline. It is in your own interest and for the benefit of your children, grandchildren and future generations.
Russ Symons' View of the "Finding Sanctuary" Meeting - I spoke this evening at some length to Russ Symons regarding yesterday's meeting. Here's what Russ wrote about our day and his musing on the present and future implications for every recreational sea angler. Thanks Russ, I am very grateful for your support and input:
Attended a meeting yesterday at Exmouth with the " Finding Sanctuary" organisation. They have been tasked with identifying areas around our coastline which are candidates to become "Marine Protected Areas".
I have to say that I am supremely suspicious of any attempt to limit our freedom to fish. However, I also realise that something has to be done to protect and conserve our fishstocks and marine environment from the depredations of some commercial fishermen, who believe that they will stop plundering when they are rich enough to retire to Spain....
I listened with interest as the strategy was outlined by Tom Hooper, it quickly became evident that the strategy was entirely dependant on information and intelligence concerning who was fishing where and when. Apparently a lot of commercial fishermen have already been interviewed and specified the areas and species which are important to them.
This meeting was the precursor to a similar exercise with the angling community. How they could meet and talk with willing anglers, so that the information can be compiled and compared with that of the commercial fishermen.
Truthfully I think there are going to to be tears and some strong feelings expressed on both sides of the divide. I know there are other stakeholders involved such as divers, canoeists, bird watchers and the like, but the real battleground is going to be out to the 12 mile limit and beyond. The reefs and wrecks from which the brood stock of many species send their young inshore for the shore anglers to catch, places like the East and West Rutts, The Eddystone Reef, Hand Deeps, Hatt Rock and the wrecks that abound in their vicinity. All prime areas for the Charter Boat fleet, the private boats owned by so many anglers, as well as the gillnetting fleet. I think it will take the wisdom of Solomon to sort this vexed question out.
However, it has been done, and I might add to the satisfaction of both parties. I have been to the Eastern Seaboard of the USA on a few occasions to fish. The first time I went, I was party to several meetings between commercial fishermen and a representative of the Recreational Fishing Alliance. The Striped Bass along that coast is resurgent to the point where it is a model for the rest of the world of what can be achieved if there is a will. There are strictly policed areas on the shore and at sea by highly visible Rangers and special Police. Frankly I was amazed just how seriously this conservation and preservation is taken, so there is a very successful model away from the social engineering and political correctness of the EU.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------