Targeting of pre-spawning aggregations of bass by nets in Cornwall
Targeting of pre-spawning aggregations of bass by nets in Cornwall
Executive Summary
During the period from 1985 to 2014, commercial landings of sea bass into UK ports increased from 105 tonnes to 1,080 tonnes (see appendices Table 8.) Over the same period the bass spawning stock biomass (bass SSB) for Divisions 4.b-c, 7.a, and 7.d-h decreased from an estimated 23,548 tonnes to 13,113 tonnes and to a low point of 8,337 tonnes by 2017 (see appendices Table 9.)
Source: ICES. 2023. Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in Divisions 4.b-c, 7.a, and 7.d-h
Due to concerns that overfishing and successive years of poor recruitment had adversely affected the sea bass stock, a precautionary management plan for sea bass was developed and adopted by the EU Commission in 2015, that included the prohibition of the directed sea bass fishery. These precautionary measures have since been modified, but are still in-force and include:
The minimum size of European sea bass is 42 cm. All specimens below this size must be released.
During February and March all bass fishing is prohibited and bass catches must be returned to the sea. Fishers should take all reasonable measures to avoid and minimise bass discards.
A UK fishing vessel may only carry one authorised fishing gear on a fishing trip when retaining bass on board. This applies to hook and line, fixed gillnets, and demersal trawls and seines.
No bass can be taken by fixed or drift nets.
Maximum catch limits for commercial fishing:
Demersal trawls and seines - Maximum 5% of weight of all marine organisms PER TRIP. Unavoidable by-catch 3.8 tonnes (3800kg) per vessel per year.
Hooks and Lines - 6.2 tonnes per year
Fixed Gill Nets - By-catch of 1.6 tonnes per year
Despite a maximum catch limit of 1.6 tonnes per year, there is strong evidence that some fixed netters are systematically landing significantly higher quantities of bass into Cornwall's ports, under the guise of hook and line landings, in order to deliberately circumvent the regulations.
This document provides that evidence and concludes that fisheries managers have, for too long, avoided challenging the illegal targeting of pre-spawning aggregations of bass by nets in Cornwall and recommends corrective actions, that are aligned with the goals of the Bass Fishery Management Plan, to finally resolve this near decade-long debacle.
Targeting of pre-spawning aggregations of bass by nets in Cornwall
Introduction:
The European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) has been an important target species for commercial and recreational fishers around the UK for more than 50 years, however after decades of exploitation and minimal regulation the stock began to rapidly decline in 2010. (Pickett and Pawson, 1994; ICES, 2021).
The decline continued for eight years and was attributed to a combination of poor recruitment and high levels of fishing mortality which led to the implementation of emergency management measures in 2015 with continuing stringent harvest restrictions to present day (ICES, 2019, 2021).
Sea bass are a slow growing, long lived, generalist predator with a complex life cycle that includes feeding and spawning migrations (Pickett and Pawson, 1994).
Seasonal Distribution of Bass:
Mean daily biomass (tonnes) distribution per quarter. Q1 = 1st January - 31st March, Q2 = 1st April - 30th June, Q3 = 1st July - 30th September, Q4 = 1st Ocotber - 31st December
A further complex component of the sea bass life cycle is the recruitment process (i.e., the surviving from egg through larval stages to a harvestable fish) which is particularly precarious and influenced by many drivers, the result of which can be observed as recruitment rates with high levels of interannual variation (Pickett and Pawson, 1994; ICES, 2021).
Source: Incorporating environmental variability in a spatially-explicit individual-based model of European sea bass - Watson, Boyd, Dutta, Vasdekis, Walker, Roy, Everitt, Hyder, Sibly
Illegal targeting of bass with nets:
Analysis of the monthly landings data, for bass caught by nets and lines in Cornwall for 2019 and 2020 was undertaken, to identify if pre-spawning aggregations of bass are being targeted by netters. Throughout this analysis it should be remembered that it has been illegal to target bass with nets since emergency protective legislation was introduced in 2015, in an attempt to restore bass stocks.
The bass fishery is closed during February and March for nets and lines. Historically, this is when fewest bass have been landed in the UK and is when a ban on landing bass would therefore have a minimal impact on commercial fishermen’s earnings. Historical landings data supports this assertion
The following migration graphics demonstrate that the main bass pre-spawning aggregation period in Cornwall's coastal waters is reasonably well defined as being the months November, December and January. The bass spawning time is accepted as being during the period February to May and in the preceding months bass migrate from the coastal waters of Wales, Somerset, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset and Devon, to the coastal waters of Cornwall and form pre-spawning aggregations, before moving offshore to over-winter in deep water in area 7h. The main spawning areas in the SW are thought to be off of Trevose Head (N. Cornwall) and northwest of the Channel Islands ( Hurd’s Deep). Having spawned, the adult bass return to inshore feeding grounds in spring. Returning bass exhibit strong site fidelity and often frequent broadly the same areas each summer.
Therefore; the bass being taken out of the fishery by Cornish netters are not just "Cornish" bass.
Graphics below shows a schedule for spawning migrations. Outer circle: migration to (pre-spawning areas) is triggered by Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and can take place between October and March. Inner circle: spawning takes place within offshore spawning patches appearing February–May.
N D Walker et al.
Analysis of MMO Bass Landings Data:
The table below show the landings per month (in tonnes) for bass recorded as being caught on lines and in nets for each month in Cornwall for 2019 and 2020.
Bass landed in Cornwall - November 1st to January 31st inclusive:
2019 - Nearly 80% of bass landed in Cornwall in the months November, December, January were caught by nets
2020 - During November, December, January period over 75% of the bass landed in Cornwall were caught by nets.
The overwhelming majority of bass landed by netters are landed in the period from November 1st until January 31st. It is suspected that for both years, many of the landings reported as being made on lines, are actually taken by nets, so the % of landings in nets for the period November - January could be significantly higher than the 75% and 80% of the year’s landings in nets referred to above
It is clear that November, December and January are the months of maximum landings by nets in Cornish waters. This is when the pre-spawning bass are aggregating and an easy target for inshore netters. The bass fishery is closed in February and March, when historically very few bass were landed, as bass migrations offshore would mostly be complete by February. Therefore, the current bass fishery closure period is conveniently aligned to offer minimal inconvenience to commercial fishers, rather than provide the maximum effective protection for bass.
In order to protect these pre-spawning aggregations, the bass fishery in Cornwall needs to be closed from 1st November to 31st January inclusive. This would allow many of the bass, which would otherwise be netted, to complete their reproductive migrations and to spawn for at least another year. It could also promote much improved recruitment, which is vital for the survival of the fishery.
By amending the existing February / March “closed period” of the commercial bass fishery, greater protection could be given to the pre-spawning bass aggregations. During this time bass are seldom caught on lines. However, the MMO landing data would appear to contradict that claim – unless of course, the landings recorded as being caught on lines were actually made in nets
Despite numerous attempts, bass angling campaigners have failed to get a % attached to landings in nets and Defra has refused to define 'unavoidable bycatch' for nets, which at times, will take a lot of 'unavoidable' bass. Perhaps the way forward is to adjust the closed season and use spatio-temporal closures rather than a blanket ban in February and March, when very few bass are actually landed.
The introduction of a Bass Fishery Management Plan (Bass FMP) provides the ideal opportunity to introduce spatial-temporal restrictions, to protect pre-spawning bass aggregations. Indeed, during the co-refine phase of the BFMP this option was put forward for discussion:
10/ Prioritise using closed seasons to protect spawning aggregations of bass stocks, while continuing to protect bass nursery areas. Regional spatial closures could also be explored once sufficient data is available to support. (source: Policy Lab co-refine survey November 2022)
The U10 catch app and iVMS system should, after one year of operation, provide excellent data on where and when bass are caught, so that pre-spawning aggregations can be avoided in the future.
Landings of Over 100 kg on Lines November – January Inclusive:
To understand the problem of just how much is being taken from the pre-spawning aggregations we need to revisit bass landings recorded as being caught on lines of over 100 kg Hand liners / rod and liners will catch very few bass when they are aggregating, getting ready to spawn, or are spawning, let alone achieve landings of over 100 kg. It simply does not happen. Fishermen are claiming that landings of well over 100 kg are being caught on lines (which would be exceptional at any time of the year, let alone in the winter) and are being made as a frequent and unavoidable occurrence.
At this time of the year, when the fish are aggregating prior to spawning, there are doubts that more than a handful of bass being caught on lines. Hand liners confirm this themselves. Landings of over 100kg claimed to have been caught on lines will almost certainly have been taken in nets. One reason it has been allowed to happen is there has been no facility to record how the fish are caught Once the landing data has been submitted there is little that can be done. This is why, when the U10 catch app is enforced, it is vital that capture method is completed before fish leave the landing area.
In 2019, for the three months of November, December and January, landings on lines of over 100 kg allegedly amounted to over 69% of all landings (by weight) in Cornwall during this period. These landings were almost certainly made in nets. For 2020 this figure was 76% so there would appear to have been a significant increase in landings in nets. That equates to a significant increase in the illegal targeting of bass with nets during the months coinciding with the pre-spawning aggregations.
In 2019, for the months of Nov, Dec and Jan, there were 7.54 tonnes of bass, which were reported as being landed on lines, in excess of 100 kg. The figure for the same time period in 2020 was 10.2 tonnes. These landings were most likely to have been made in nets rather than on lines. Now add those landings to the reported landings in nets of 19.2 tonnes in 2019 and 19.7 tonnes in 2020 and we arrive at 26.74 tonnes in 2019 and 29.9 tonnes in 2020 caught in nets for just those three months alone. This amounts to more than the reported number of bass caught in nets in the whole year, in 2019 and again in 2020! All this points to the illegal targeting of the pre-spawning and spawning aggregations by unscrupulous netters and the widespread misreporting of net-caught bass.
The commercial landings for bass, caught in nets for these three months, is more than half the landings taken on ALL other metiers for ALL of the year . . . yet it is illegal to target bass with nets!
A Closed Season For Bass by Nets in Cornwall from November 1st to January 31st.
For Cornwall, it seems clear that closing the fishery for the months November / December / January would have a significant beneficial impact on protecting the pre-spawning bass aggregations. If the fishery was just closed to nets for this period and remained open to lines, we would still see a huge reduction in landings. Again, this option was explored during the co-refine phase of the Bass FMP:
9/ Move towards the use of more environmentally sustainable fishing methods to catch bass, such as rod & line, over other methods that pose wider environmental risks to sensitive species and habitats. (source: Policy Lab co-refine survey November 2022)
As previously espoused; many of the landings reported on lines at this time of year have actually been made in nets. By closing the fishery to nets, during this period, these aggregating bass would be spared and they would also be allowed to spawn, thus potentially improving recruitment.
Everyone, other than a few non-compliant netters, would benefit and, as the fishermen are actually claiming significant landings on lines during this period, allow them to continue to fish for bass with lines at this time of year. The fishery would only be closed to nets and that should present no problem as bass cannot be targeted with nets anyway. It would seem difficult to argue against.
If the bass fishery was to be closed from the beginning of November until the end of January, (In Cornwall), then rigid enforcement would be vital. Having the U10 catch app up and running and properly enforced will be a great help in stopping the illegal targeting. A lack of enforcement is something the management of the bass stock falls down on time and time again and will continue to be the weakest link in the chain, unless enforcement is addressed as a key part of the new BFMP.
There is no doubt that the 'offending' commercial netters would object in the strongest possible terms and try to block this happening. They would invariably claim that there would be an increase in discards, but that assertion is highly debatable. What else would they net for at this time of the year, in these areas, with a similar mesh size?
The Need For Effective Enforcement Action:
Even without the introduction of the U10 app, the MMO are in a position to identify the vessels targeting aggregating bass with nets and who are claiming the landings are made on lines. No-one makes a landing of over a tonne of bass on lines!
In 2019 there was a landing of 1.172 tonnes reportedly made on lines. Another landing amounted to 926 kg. There were over a hundred landings greater than 250 kg. In 2020 the top landing on 'allegedly' made on lines was 1.360 tonnes. There were another 89 landings over 250 kg. This simply does not happen in the rod and line bass fishery
Surely, we are entitled to expect fishery enforcement agencies to be aware that this is the case and to take appropriate action against those who breach the regulations.
Above: MMO landing data for an anonymised fishing vessel #2202
There is also empirical evidence that some netting vessels exceeded their annual bass bycatch allowance (1.2 tonnes in 2018 and 1.4 tonnes in 2019), seemingly without repercussions.
And finally, as if Cornish fixed netters illegally targeting bass and exceeding the annual by-catch allowances were not enough, the MMO data shows vessels landing bass during the February / March commercial fishing closed period.
No wonder sea anglers are annoyed and frustrated at the lack of enforcement of the existing bass regulations, when they are subject to a two fish bag limit and longer closed seasons than commercial fishers. Isn't it about time the 'unavoidable' bass by-catch loophole was closed once and for all by attaching a realistic limit of say 10% of the total catch landed to netting authorisations?
Further Enforcement Issues Related to the Bass Fishery:
One might be forgiven for concluding that the rule breaking is limited to the occasional breach of the landing regulations, or the selfish activities of one or two rogue fishermen, but again, closer inspection reveals that the bass landing regulations are regularly being flouted, or even ignored and so it would appear, is the enforcement of those very regulations designed to protect dwindling stocks. If we can identify these inconsistencies and transgressions, why can't those charged with enforcement also identify the culprits and take appropriate action?
Year: 2019
There is really no way these catches can be regarded as accidental bycatch, rather than targeted fishing. Irrespective of whether the above trips are considered as ‘Targeted’ fishing of bass or ‘Accidental/unintentional’, the annual limit in 2019 was 1.4 tonnes and this vessel has landed well in excess of the permitted limit. In addition to the four trips shown above, this vessel made six further landings of bass for a total annual weight of over 2 tonnes during 2019.
Year: 2020. Vessel ID 2156, Trip ID 37818
MMO landing data showing a trawl landing of 420 kilos (all species) of which bass is 169.8 kilos. That represents 40.4% when the permitted percentage is only 5%. What was the MMO’s action for this apparent excess landing? The same trip also shows an additional landing of bass by hook & line of 113.3 kilos. It would be highly unusual for a trawler to fish H&L and even more unusual to do so on the same trip? Was this vessel authorised to land bass with H&L? If not, did the MMO investigate and / or take any action?
During 2020, trawlers were restricted to 520 kilos bycatch of bass over two consecutive months. There were numerous instances of trawlers exceeding this catch limit. Here are just some examples.
During 2020, more than a dozen vessels are shown to have landed in excess of 1.4 tonnes of bass from nets with some vessels landing more than twice the annual permitted weight. Were any of these vessels the subject of MMO investigation and if so, what were the outcomes?
The seabass stock continues to hover just above Blim. Recommendations for landings, even at the lower limit of the ICES recommendation will only ever result in small increases in the spawning stock biomass. It seems clear that, although it is prohibited, stocks are being targeted by netters.
Transhipment from trawlers and seiners is also likely to be a problem as Devon & Severn IFCA have pointed out. Stricter measures and more effective enforcement are required if the stock is to grow.
Given that so many bass landings go unreported, the true situation is almost certainly significantly worse than outlined here.
Bass need all the help they can get. We urgently need a percentage attached to landings of bass in nets in order to define unavoidable bycatch and to revoke the change of wording from “unavoidable bycatch” to simply, “bycatch”. It isn’t too late to make adjustments to the closed season for nets and lines in order to grant some real protection to the aggregating bass at pre-spawning time.
This will result in spawning bass surviving and having a real opportunity to return to their home waters. Most of all it will give a boost to recruitment. It isn’t rocket science. The data tells us what we need to do.
Further Evidence of Net-caught Bass:
Looking specifically at fish market prices for bass in Cornwall, because this is where many of our bass aggregate prior to spawning, we have reviewed the price per kilo for bass on a monthly basis. It is lowest in the months of November, December and January when bass are aggregating. Low prices are indicative of poor quality, net caught bass. Line-caught fish fetch higher prices.
Hand-lined and rod-caught bass will always fetch significantly more than netted bass. That the analysis shows little difference in the average price between metiers indicates that many bass claimed as being landed on lines are actually being landed in nets. The wholesale buyers will spot this a mile away and net-caught bass will sell for less than true line-caught and rod-caught bass.
It happens because the default setting is “lines”. So why doesn’t the MMO realise this when it is so patently obvious. The bottom line is, that there are far more landings made in nets than the published data indicates. We think it is fair to say that we’ve known for some time that the data is not fit for purpose. Is this another example of the, “World Class Fishery Management”, we have been promised?
Taking an arbitrary value of £10 per kilo, to indicate when prices were below this amount, as a possible indicator of net caught bass rather than rely on the obviously inaccurate “default setting”. Line caught rarely fetch less than £10 per kilo.
Having applied this value test to the identified aggregating period of November 1st – January 31st and compared it with the rest of the year. The figures are quite startling.
2019 - bass landings recorded as 'caught by lines' during the months Nov, Dec, Jan
139 landings out of 271 fetched less than £10 per kilo – i.e. 51.3% of landings.
For the remaining 9 months of the year months it was 199 /1071 = 18.6%
That is almost three fold, indicating a lot of netted fish landed during this aggregating period when they are especially vulnerable to nets. Yet all of these landings were claimed as being taken on lines.
2019 - Nets during the months Nov, Dec, Jan
210 landings out of 313 landings fetched less than £10 / kilo. i.e. 67%.
For remainder of the year it was 93/323 = 28.8%.
Well over twice the landings fetched less than £10 per kilo during the aggregating period, indicating poor quality fish of the type you would expect when they are aggregating and caught by nets.
2020 - bass landings recorded as 'caught by lines' during the months Nov, Dec, Jan
153 landings out of 197 fetched less than £10 per kilo. i.e. 77.7%
For remainder of year it was 206/1149 i.e. 17.9%.
That is nearly four times as much as for the rest of the year.
This is because the majority of these fish are net-caught!
2020 Nets during the months Nov, Dec, Jan
273/316 landings fetched less than £10 per kilo. i.e. 86.4%
For rest of year 91/355 = 21.2%.
Four times as much – indicating poor quality net-caught bass
. . . . . and all this is happening at a time when it is illegal to target bass with nets.
The difference between November / December / January to the other 9 months of year is startling, but relatively consistent
Although this review covers just a two year period, indicating low prices for poor quality, net-caught bass, indicative of what is landed at spawning time, it is more evidence of spawning aggregations being targeted.
If bass were left alone to spawn they would be worth significantly more a month or so later. They would also have been able to contribute to greatly improve recruitment.
1st Nov– 31st January is when the bass fishery needs to be closed in Cornwall. Other coastal areas and the bass migrating from them would gain as a result. The current haphazard approach to fishery management is not benefitting anyone.
All of the above is further evidence that many bass claimed as being landed on lines are actually caught in nets. Line-caught bass rarely fetch less than £10 per kilo, as any market auctioneer will confirm.
There is Conclusive Evidence - If You Choose to Look For It:
Some of these landings will have actually been witnessed by joint CIFCA / MMO inspection teams, yet nothing happens. These gluts of poor quality fish appear on the fish markets on a regular basis, but the MMO rarely seem to do anything about it, despite inspection of the markets being a part of their remit.
The following graph shows bass landings >=100kg using hooks and lines into Cornwall for the years 2017 - 2020. The data has been grouped quarterly - including Jan, Nov and Dec in the same year.
The column for Nov-Jan 2020 shows that 77% of bass landings for that quarter where made up of landings >100kg i.e. they were highly likely to have been bass caught using gill nets, but recorded as hook and line landings. Or to put another way - of the 14 tonnes of bass landed as being caught by hook and line, nearly 11 tonnes were likely to have been caught in gill nets.
It is also worth noting that if bass landings in gill nets and hook and line >=100kg (on the assumption they are in reality gill net landings) are combined, then we arrive at the inevitable conclusion - a doubling of bass landings using gill nets in Cornwall from 2017 to 2020 despite it being illegal to target bass using nets!
From 2017 to 2020 there has been an upward trend in landings of bass by 100% in 4 years.
It comes as no surprise what time of year the majority of these landings are occurring.
What is striking; is that in 2019 and again in 2020 nets landed over 60% of bass landed in Cornwall. This is at a time when it is illegal to target bass with nets.
Are we really to believe that 60+% of the bass landings in Cornwall are ''unavoidable bycatch''?
It could be argued that increased landings of bass indicates the stock is growing, but this could just as equally be explained by rising water temperatures facilitating spawning sites much closer to shore, which are more accessible to the under ten metre inshore netting fleet.
It could also be that more netters have realised that with the significantly more generous allowance for bass caught on rod and lines, many more bass can be landed if they are claimed to be caught on lines and they won't be challenged if they land the bass they catch in nets as line-caught.
For how much longer will this abuse be allowed to continue?
Cornwall IFCA committee members demand action on illegal bass targeting:
At Cornwall IFCA’s Committee meeting on Friday 18 September 2020, several Cornwall IFCA Committee members agreed that there is a problem with net-caught bass landings increasing in Cornwall and expressed concern that some Cornish fixed netters are illegally targeting bass and landing them as “unavoidable bycatch”. In 2019, nearly 70% of all net-caught bass landed into Mevagissey were from trips where bass made up 90% to 100% of the catch.
Several Committee members acknowledged there is a problem with netters illegally targeting bass. Local Marine Management Organisation Officer Daisy May said:
“We do know that in Cornwall, historically, levels of landing in this area with regards to the rest of England is higher.” and advised that “action needs to be taken”.
Andrew Pascoe (fisherman) said:
“I would urge Cornwall IFCA officers to regulate and police the targeting of bass day after day with nets” and “when you continually shoot back in the same area day after day after day, these are the issues that need to be policed more”.
Councillor Graham Coad said:
“there’s specific information that’s been coming in about particular vessels, largely in the Mevagissey area, that have been targeting bass and that is illegal still, I understand, and we’ve heard reports of 100% bycatch of bass. How can you have 100% bycatch? I think that Cornish IFCA needs to do more, specifically investigate these allegations”
Dr. Nick Tregenza focused on the term “unavoidable bycatch”:
“if a boat has unavoidable bycatch repeatedly, it wasn’t unavoidable” and he advised “we shouldn’t view unavoidable bycatch because it’s undefined as meaningless. It obviously is very meaningful and could be established.”
Committee members were keen to take action and voted:
“that Cornwall IFCA write to Defra to express their concern and the vague nature of the words “unavoidable bycatch” and provide a clear definition of this phrase at the earliest opportunity.”
Source: Communications and Management for Sustainability - Marine News - November 3, 2020
Cornwall IFCA writes to DEFRA:
''Without a clear definition of this term or an admission that a specific vessel was targeting bass and not another species, it has not been possible for either IFCA or MMO officers to take enforcement action
... our members would urge Defra to provide a definition of “unavoidable bycatch” at the earliest opportunity, if this term is to remain as part of the rationale for the management of bass landings under a new domestic regime."
Source: Cornwall IFCA correspondence to Neil Hornby Director, Marine and Fisheries, DEFRA 08/10/2020
The reply from DEFRA:
"I know that having the criterion still there without a definition has presented a challenge for any effective enforcement of it. That is a universal issue for all IFCOs and MMO officers in all areas, and not one specific to any localised context."
Source: Supplementary Agenda Cornwall IFCA 17/12/2020 Reply from Roy Smith, Access and Inshore team, DEFRA 15/12/2020
And yet this problem was still not resolved three years later as, in its response to the Bass FMP consultation of 2023, Cornwall IFCA again highlighted the problem to DEFRA:
''We would urge some caution in conclusions drawn from the analysis of landings and their attribution to different gear types as there is clear evidence of transhipping between vessels using different gear types.
There is also strong suspicion that gear types used to catch bass have been mis-reported by fishers to enable larger weights of landed bass to appear legitimate, particularly fixed net caught bass recorded as line caught.''
Isn't it about time that this impasse and highly damaging situation is finally resolved, as a short-term objective of the Bass FMP ?
2023/24 Update:
We know that the official MMO figures for bass landings only contain a fraction of what is actually being landed, as was admitted by Michael Coyle, MMO Head of Compliance and Control:
''We have significant evidence that sales notes do not accurately reflect the catch from under-10 metre vessels. A Cefas sampling plan which monitored over 400 under10 metre landings, identified that the date recorded on sales notes differed to the actual landing date in 34% of cases. CEFAS observer data revealed 12-53% higher weights than those recorded on the official MMO data for the relevant landings''
With this in mind, the MMO data for bass landings into Mevagissey for December 2022 and January 2023 (this is when the bass were aggregating prior to spawning) almost certainly under-stated that SIXTEEN tonnes had been landed into that one port in those two months
Despite what the landing method data may claim, the overwhelming majority of these bass will have been landed in nets. This scenario is being repeated all at ports in Cornwall / South West at that time of the year. These are fish from all over the country that have migrated through Cornwall to spawn. They won't be going back.
An analysis of bass landings into ALL Cornish ports reveals that in January 2023 alone, over TWENTYNINE tonnes of bass were recorded as being landed into Cornish ports and for November 2023 (23.68t), December 2023 (37.43t) and January 2024 (22.4t) making a total of EIGHTY-THREE tonnes in these three months; nearly 64% of the annual Cornwall landings, in just three months!
To put this into context; more than one vessel was recorded as landing more than 1.5 tonnes in a single trip! What makes this even more incongruous is that these 1.5 tonnes were recorded by the MMO as being caught on lines. This typifies the inaccuracy of the bass landing data. The MMO recording of bass landings information is wholly inaccurate (see above admission). It is based upon sales slips which do not have a facility to record by which metier the fish are caught. So, MMO doesn't know how much is being landed and they don't know how it is being caught. Why isn't the MMO enforcing and using the under-ten landing app to collect more accurate data?
On its datasets and in relation to sales notes the MMO tell us that, "The data includes the species, weight and value of fish landed along with details of the vessel involved, where the fish was caught, and with what gear". Compare that with the MMO guidance on completing sales notes, which can be found on the MMO website at: Guidance. Sales notes – Completion and submission 20/ 02/2023there is no mention of a requirement to record the metier used to catch the fish on the sales note.
Now ask yourself - What happens with a vessel with dual authorisation to catch bass?
An authorisation for Hook & Line allows the vessel to land 6 tonnes of bass per year and an authorisation for nets that same vessel to land only 1.6 tonnes of 'bycatch' per annum.
Which method would you chose as your default catch-recording setting ?
Historic bass landings in Cornwall by year – see appendices for corresponding data sets
Source: MMO landings data
2021 to 2022 shows an increase in bass landings of almost 30%
2021 to 2023 shows an increase in bass landings of 126%
Landings of bass during the pre-spawning aggregation period of November / December / January have more than doubled in just two years.
This is a huge increase in bass landings, even allowing for more bass authorisations being issued; therefore more commercial fishermen targeting bass with nets.
It is illegal to target bass with nets and the legislation is being ignored year on year, under the guise of 'Unavoidable bycatch' and the lack of enforcement, due to badly worded bass fishery legislation, is being exploited by unscrupulous netters year upon year, with more fishers joining in the bass bonanza free-for-all .
Perhaps, the netters don’t think they are doing anything wrong. No one has stopped them targeting bass at any time during the last 8 or 9 years. If netters can only land ''bycatch'' why can’t we have a legal definition of what ''bycatch'' is? If we can do it for trawls then surely, we can do the same for nets.
A maximum of 30% bycatch would solve the problem – just like the old ''Catch Composition'' legislation. It wasn’t perfect, but it would infinitely better than what we have now . . . . and suggestions that netters would target other species to land them are, in most cases, a nonsense when the majority are U10 day boat operators. With some of the landings they are making, another 70% would cause them to sink. We have reliable reports (as does Cornwall IFCA) of landings of over a tonne of bass, which have been transhipped for safety reasons.
Conclusions:
If domestic bass stocks are to recover to a healthy level, then we need a closed season that offers the maximum protection when bass are gathering in large concentrations prior to and during spawning and are therefore at their most vulnerable. This may vary in different areas, but surely, this is basic fishery management practice 101.
Of course, it will be argued that if the bass weren't there in sufficient numbers then they couldn't be caught. But the reality is that these fish are the green shoots of the bass stock recovery and the product of everyone else's adherence to the bass regulations, which are there to rebuild stocks and a few netters are cashing in on everyone else's restraint. No wonder the SSB isn't growing as it was anticipated!
If the bass fishery in Cornwall was closed from 1st Nov - 31st January the majority of migrating bass would be able to spawn and improve the levels of bass recruitment. They would also stand a better chance of returning to their home feeding waters during the following spring and early summer.
Commercial fishers want to be able to catch more fish so that they can make more money. To do that they need to get the catch limits / quotas increased, so they are bound to say there are plenty of fish about. However, the science doesn't appear to support that claim.
If we compare what was being caught 20 / 30 / 50 years ago and what is being caught now, it is clear that bass stocks are considerably lower than they were and the sizes of fish being caught is smaller.
Bass stocks are now dependent upon good recruitment years and if recruitment has not been good, (as the science tells us), then how can the stock be improving? If there are so many bass about then why isn't the stock growing at a faster rate? If we experience a couple of really bad winters, knocking out '0' group juveniles, the bass spawning stock will be back below Blim again.
When we are taking from the stock at a faster rate than nature can replenish it, then bass are always going to be in trouble. It is common sense, but a lesson we appear unable to learn. When netters are obliterating the aggregating bass BEFORE they have a chance to spawn it is a double whammy.
Given the imperative of increasing bass recruitment (''Effective protection of the spawning and juvenile bass stock will enable the stock to replenish most efficiently'' - Goal 7 Bass FMP) and that the evidence already exists, that vulnerable pre-spawning aggregations of bass are being systematically targeted by netters during November, December and January, the Bass FMP now offers the means to finally solve this glaring problem ... before it is too late.
In terms of how this evidence fits within the Bass FMP stated Goals - Goals 3, 4 and 7 in particular, offer a number of synergies and solutions:
Goal 3: Minimise discarding of bass bycatch where survival rates are low
6. The use of spatial or temporal closures will be reviewed to help reduce bass bycatch, particularly of pre-spawning aggregations, in line with evolving evidence (see goal 7.)
Goal 4: Ensure full compliance with bass regulations
Developing clearer MMO guidance on bass regulations on GOV.UK and improving communication with existing licence holders
How this can be achieved: medium to long term?
1. Commission research to better understand current levels of compliance with bass regulations.
2. Consider implementing a requirement that vessels must immediately discard excess bass to help enforce bass regulations at sea, rather than only discarding upon landing (to be considered alongside the review of the contrasting ‘landing all bass’ approach mentioned in goal 3).
3. Review the implications of redefining bass ‘bycatch’ for netting by introducing a percentage catch composition limit (for example, less than 50% of total catch).
Goal 7: Ongoing protection of juvenile and spawning bass stock
Rationale: Although the bass stock has shown signs of recovery in recent years, SSB and the recruitment of juveniles remains a concern. Effective protection of the spawning and juvenile bass stock will enable the stock to replenish most efficiently.
How this can be achieved: short term?
1. Gather evidence on the most suitable timing and duration of the closed seasons to optimise the protection of spawning bass stocks. This should include investigating the possibility of regional variation and an assessment of the potential impacts on fishers.
How this can be achieved: medium to long term?
3. Review the possibility of using local spatial or temporal closures to protect spawning bass, in line with evolving evidence.
Source: ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Celtic Seas and Greater North Sea ecoregions
But bycatch is 'Just a Few Dead Bass' - Right?
Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall
A ban on the targeted netting for bass during November, December and January would prevent unnecessary death and suffering for marine mammals and sea birds too.
Wrong!
The proliferation of gill nets, that are deliberately set to catch aggregating bass, are not only damaging bass stocks, but are also responsible for numerous cetacean, seal and sea bird deaths at this time every year
28th January 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall
About BASS
The Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society was formed in 1973 We are a fishing club and an organisation dedicated to the restoration of the European Sea Bass stock in UK waters
The society's members encourage the conservation, research and protection, as well as improve and educate others in the techniques of angling, for this, our premier sporting sea fish
We promote scientific research into bass biology and ecology and offer bursary funding for projects involving individuals, groups and students at postgraduate level
Citizen Science
Our members collaborate and assist with university led research to better understand the habitat requirements of juvenile bass and their movements within estuaries and coastal environments. As part of this work we have assisted in the capture of bass for tagging and provided scale samples for analysis.
In partnership with marine conservation groups, members participate in recording marine strandings and beach clean-ups, as well as juvenile bass surveys to assess year class strength and provide information for University and Cefas-led research on bass recruitment.
We have supported and coordinated bass tagging studies to expand and confirm knowledge of the seasonal migrations of bass.
Fighting for Bass
Campaigning for the restoration of bass stocks is our raison d'être. We have lobbied government at UK and EU level and have been instrumental in bringing destructive fishing methods, such as pair trawling for bass, with its associated cetacean bycatch, to a halt
We have been instrumental in raising the MCRS to allow more bass to reproduce and replace those lost through natural and human activities
We campaign to restore an abundant and healthy bass stock to support a sustainable fishery where recreational angling is given due recognition
