Cornish fishermen in troubled waters

bytheseaside · Post by **bytheseaside** » 01 Oct 2009, 20:15

I wasn't too sure about where to put this addition, but as it's about the sustainability of Cornish fish stocks, this seem sbaout right; my October home page came about talking to a friend's son who is trying to make a living hand lining for bass and mackerel.

www.livingincornwall.com

Sunny B · Post by **Sunny B** » 02 Oct 2009, 10:44

My personal experience is that there are so few fish around in Cornwall now compared to when I moved here over 20 years ago. I used to fish for my supper, there was always something, now you have to go out on a boat to have a chance of catching something. I snorkelled for half an hour one day, didn't see a single fish in a place that I used to know I would definitely see something each time. Very sad.

lancashire lass · Post by **lancashire lass** » 02 Oct 2009, 13:39

I think a lot of our fish stocks are in serious trouble {cry}

and need a complete time out to recover plus a clean up of environmental issues. Climate changes (even just a slight increase of sea temperature) will also have a devastating effect on stock levels. It would not surprise me if the whole thing were to reach tipping point soon, then there will be no point of return. Total lunacy )dwn:

Post by **saint-spoon** » 02 Nov 2009, 21:46

When I first hit the ocean waves there was hardly a day that went by without a sighting of some sort of cetacean especially in the rich seasonal waters around our coast. There was also a myriad of sea dwelling birds (other than the coastal gulls). Sadly it seems that sightings are rather less common than once they were even though we had apparently banned hunting whales commercially. The same is true about seabirds such as puffins that on the whole seem to have had a hard time of it. if there is no food for them to eat then they starve.
The problem seems to be more due to industrial factory ships from our European partners stripping our waters bare than from our own dwindling fleet; I’m not sure if they contravene international agreements or if our own euro-hungry government are giving our stocks away to appease increasing pressure from opportunistic partners in the Union. Certainly it appears that we have deliberately destroyed our own fleet whilst failing to deal with those who seek to profit from our own fishermen’s misfortune.
On the bright side I did see gannets diving for fish a few miles off the Isle of Wight last week and Fin and Minke whales seemed to be fairing well off the east coast of Scotland earlier on this year.