North East Worst Cod Season To Date

[Timmy H]

Lion fish have been spread around the Red Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean by mankind in bilge water, thrown out or lost by careless aquarium owners. Few natural predators are known and they’re a bloody nightmare. Nothing to do with warming up of the oceans, but it doesn’t help in the fight against them.

They couldn't survive unless those waters had warmed enough to support them. It's not just our part of the world that is suffering declining fish stocks and infiltration by new species whatever the cause.
There are multiple causes of the changes we are seeing, over fishing, warming, habitat destruction, invasive species, we can't pin all the blame on just one sector but we can go some way to explain why some species change their range and behaviour. In the case of mackerel, approx 15 years ago they were a new species to Iceland and the Faroes, now they are a major catch. What made them turn up there?
It certainly wasn't to escape commercial fishing around the UK.
Anyway, it's a good subject to debate but personally I'd like to go back 40 years to when decent cod and big whiting were common, rays were a surprise and I could catch pounds of brown shrimp in an hour with a pushnet.

 

[Where’s Wally]

They couldn't survive unless those waters had warmed enough to support them. It's not just our part of the world that is suffering declining fish stocks and infiltration by new species whatever the cause.
There are multiple causes of the changes we are seeing, over fishing, warming, habitat destruction, invasive species, we can't pin all the blame on just one sector but we can go some way to explain why some species change their range and behaviour. In the case of mackerel, approx 15 years ago they were a new species to Iceland and the Faroes, now they are a major catch. What made them turn up there?
It certainly wasn't to escape commercial fishing around the UK.
Anyway, it's a good subject to debate but personally I'd like to go back 40 years to when decent cod and big whiting were common, rays were a surprise and I could catch pounds of brown shrimp in an hour with a pushnet.

The Red Sea has been warm enough for thousands of years, so to the Mediterranean and the bulk of the Atlantic, but they’ve only recently become an issue due to the direct stupidity of humans. Far more catastrophic than a tiny increase in sea temperatures.
If someone came along and took 90% of your wealth/assets and put the prices up by say 10% you’d feel aggrieved by the 90% stolen, far more than a few % increase of inflation.
Perhaps you can see where I’m coming from?

 

[Timmy H]

The Red Sea has been warm enough for thousands of years, so to the Mediterranean and the bulk of the Atlantic, but they’ve only recently become an issue due to the direct stupidity of humans. Far more catastrophic than a tiny increase in sea temperatures.
If someone came along and took 90% of your wealth/assets and put the prices up by say 10% you’d feel aggrieved by the 90% stolen, far more than a few % increase of inflation.
Perhaps you can see where I’m coming from?

Some yes, but I still get the impression you haven't taken in and really understood post 23. Mackerel have moved like never before, I reckon other species have too. Our current sea temps are at a level far higher than the half percent you quoted. I provided details of what I read which is actually posted elsewhere on this forum, including the tonnages caught. You have produced nothing to back up your figures, no data, nothing analytical so I can't attach much credence to what you've written because I can't check it or cross reference it to anything else.
Regardless, I agree there is a major problem both now and in the future, multiple causes and no easy solution. The seas are in a major decline, whether pollution, overfishing or climate warming, man is a major contributor.

 

[Leginfisher]

For me it’s over fishing that’s caused the collapse. Saw it at the Grand Banks with their cod stocks before global warming really kicked in. Look at the undulate ray position. Anglers were at last starting to catch quite a few after a ban on commercial fishing. Numbers increased, ban lifted and it’s not taken very long to seeing catches drastically decrease. Saw a private boat recently saying they used to see one or more on most trips from Weymouth and had just one all of last year.

 

[Where’s Wally]

Some yes, but I still get the impression you haven't taken in and really understood post 23. Mackerel have moved like never before, I reckon other species have too. Our current sea temps are at a level far higher than the half percent you quoted. I provided details of what I read which is actually posted elsewhere on this forum, including the tonnages caught. You have produced nothing to back up your figures, no data, nothing analytical so I can't attach much credence to what you've written because I can't check it or cross reference it to anything else.
Regardless, I agree there is a major problem both now and in the future, multiple causes and no easy solution. The seas are in a major decline, whether pollution, overfishing or climate warming, man is a major contributor.

I don’t believe the claptrap about man made climate change, or what was referred to until recently as global warming. If you care to look back 10’s of thousands of years from ice cores, you’ll see that climate changes have always occurred and more drastic changes happened long before man became industrialised, but I’m not here to convince you or anyone. The information is there to be disseminated and studied.
What conclusions folks make is down to themselves

 

[Timmy H]

I don’t believe the claptrap about man made climate change, or what was referred to until recently as global warming. If you care to look back 10’s of thousands of years from ice cores, you’ll see that climate changes have always occurred and more drastic changes happened long before man became industrialised, but I’m not here to convince you or anyone. The information is there to be disseminated and studied.
What conclusions folks make is down to themselves

I have never said climate change is man made, if you think otherwise please point it out.
I believe we have had an effect in other ways but climate has always changed and always will.
However the most drastic changes have been in the last 50 years, now is that natural or because of human activity? Or maybe a mixture of both?
Yes I agree there have always been climate changes, no argument there. But you say "claptrap" without anything to substantiate or support what you say. I produced figures and data about sea temperatures and mackerel migration, published elsewhere on this forum to support what I posted. You have posted nothing but your personal opinion, nothing to back it up, nothing at all. Merely mentioning ice cores, do you think they will predict the future any more than looking at fossils or ancient artefacts? We already know the past thanks, it's the present and future we have a problem with. Yes changes occurred before industrialisation but they are happening far quicker since coal, steam, petrol and aviation.
Anyone that can't see that is either dense or being deliberately obtuse.

 

[Timmy H]

For me it’s over fishing that’s caused the collapse. Saw it at the Grand Banks with their cod stocks before global warming really kicked in. Look at the undulate ray position. Anglers were at last starting to catch quite a few after a ban on commercial fishing. Numbers increased, ban lifted and it’s not taken very long to seeing catches drastically decrease. Saw a private boat recently saying they used to see one or more on most trips from Weymouth and had just one all of last year.

A private boat? Like the one that goes shark fishing but catches mainly tuna?
Undulate rays are figuring high on commercial catches are they? Let me know where I can buy undulate ray wings please, I quite like them but haven't had any for years.

 

[Warby72]

Yes changes occurred before industrialisation but they are happening far quicker since coal, steam, petrol and aviation.
Anyone that can't see that is either dense or being deliberately obtuse.

 

[squidword]

A private boat? Like the one that goes shark fishing but catches mainly tuna?
Undulate rays are figuring high on commercial catches are they? Let me know where I can buy undulate ray wings please, I quite like them but haven't had any for years.

Once the ban was lifted on commercial fishing, the south coast lost 90% of its undulate population. I'd imagine, just like the other rays it all gets sold as skate wings. In the scientific community the movement of palaegic species has been put down to overfishing of the main food sources, being sand eel, whitebait etc.. by industrial factory ships for use as fertiliser.

 

[Leginfisher]

A private boat? Like the one that goes shark fishing but catches mainly tuna?
Undulate rays are figuring high on commercial catches are they? Let me know where I can buy undulate ray wings please, I quite like them but haven't had any for years.

Do you mean he’s not really targeting those Threshers, that Cornwall is well known for. Blondes, small eyes, thornies undulates all skinned and sold as roker. They had no catch limits but then bye catch allowed and now have quota for undulates. Chesil and Sussex beaches have seem massive drop in numbers caught since and I don’t think that’s because they have all packed their bags to head north to enjoy the warming waters.

End of the day whatever the reason for fewer and smaller fish there’s little we can do about it. So enjoy what you catch while you can, eat it if you like or put it back if you like. I certainly am enjoying eating these halibut and plaice . 6-8lb plaice are great. One of the fillets probably weighs more than most uk plaice that’ll you catch now. None that size on the shambles skerries or Eastbourne banks now. Come to the conclusion what’s the point in putting them back just for the commercials to then catch them, just pi55ing in the wind unfortunately. But each and everyone to their own. If I see some serious measures to try and protect stocks then I’ll change my view but until then……

 

[Trampster]

Once the ban was lifted on commercial fishing, the south coast lost 90% of its undulate population. I'd imagine, just like the other rays it all gets sold as skate wings. In the scientific community the movement of palaegic species has been put down to overfishing of the main food sources, being sand eel, whitebait etc.. by industrial factory ships for use as fertiliser.

And fish food for the bloody Scottish Salmon farms.

 

[Topwater]

Norwegian and Canadian owned fish farms located in Scotland are one of the biggest environmental disasters ever