JustMe Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 As I understand it there are two reasons to dump fish. Either you are over quota for that species and are forced by law to dump the excess or you have hauled some poor quality fish that will count against your quota if you land them even though you will only get a little money for them so you dump them and catch better quality ones. Neither reason makes sense when it comes to conservation but skippers are faced with a crazy scheme which they have to live with while trying to make a living. There is an answer. Make dumping of a catch illegal, put workable penalties in place to deal with skippers trying to catch a species for which they have no remaining quota and at the same time alter the quota system in some way as to allow for the landing of poor quality fish. Either some sort of points system based on fish quality or a simple monetary quota so that landing a poor quality catch would not count so much against the quota as really good fish. And while I am having my little rant can anyone tell me what sense there is in any sort of "days at sea" restriction. Quota limit on catch is fine so why cannot the skippers fish whenever they think it is good to go to sea?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 I see the ignorance didna take long to surface : Call this fishing? Letter to Shetland News All i can say after reading that is god help da dolphins if thats the intelligence lookin after them. It always stuns me to see people insinuating fishermen are anti-conservation, when in truth, they are the ones with everything to lose and the best understanding of the need for and value of conservation of all. Edit - by the way, whats the poll supposed to mean? I don't support the dumping of fish, but i wholeheartedly support the fishermen who are forced to do so.. Absolutely. The wooly green brigade not understanding the underlying core issues. This whole journalistic furor does no justice for either side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooper Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 This dumping of fish hasn't just started now i was at the fishing for 22 years its been going on for years we fished alongside huge german and norsky trawlers who were alowed to keep everything but the poor shetland and scottish fisherman were forced to dump saithe the length off the box i know for a fact NO fisherman wants to dump fish but they are forced to by sprootle all in the name off conservation. Maybe we should buy trawlers and register them in bergen then we could land whatever we want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 Well said scooper i have been there and seen it but all these do gooders most off whom have never been in a boat think they know all about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 ^^^ I totally agree ^^^ What's the poor fisherman to do? If he catches fish he has no quota for, or fish of so low value the sale wouldn't even cover his fuel costs but still counts equally against his quota, what choice does he have? It's a damn shame, but it's not the fisherman's fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engineer21 Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 ¨^^^^^^^ Aggres totally with these last few quotes and well said ^^^ The fishermen is this country do not make a great living (on the whole) its a job u love to do thats why they do it ive worked with many ex fisherman (from all diff countries) who now work on oil related vessels and they say the moneys far better and steady here, works easier and you need too worry about the goverment fools as much! but yet they still wannabe fishing!! surely the fishermen want too keep stocks high etc so they and there childern can fish? at least the british fisermen do. The spanish, portuguese etc dnt give two hoots as long as they make money and we let them!!wheres their quota system? their days at sea limits? the waters need too be better managed on a whole! im deff nt pro dumping fish in anyway but i can uderstand its the only thing they can do! fishing isnt like shopping u cant just choose what u want they end up with all diff kinds of fish in the cod end, why are you going too keep worthless fish which if you land u exceed ur quota and get fined or if u land them ur trip as a whole has come out a loss taking into account fuel costs etc!! how come some ppl dnt understand this subject better!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 I'm actually quite angry about that letter so I e-mailed the sender with this:- Perhaps you might like to find out something about the fishing industry and more especially the CFP before you issue such blanket condemnation. Fishermen are not allowed to land fish for which they have no quota, so they have to be dumped. And even if they have a quota for the species caught, if the fish are so small that their value won't even cover the fuel costs of the trip, yet the tonnage caught will be counted against the boats quota anyway, what choice do the fishermen have but to dump them and try again? They have to make a living. The problem lies with the CFP and Europe, not with the fishermen. Fishermen have been complaining about the flaws in the CFP for decades but nobody in authority gives a damn. At least this video has brought this issue to the fore and some good may come of that, but ill-informed condemnation such as yours helps noone. Stick to saving dolphins. Yours ArabiaTerra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 Looking at this topic from the Norwegian side of the North Sea: It looks like the Norwegians are trying to make almost as much of this story as the 'save the seals' and 'save the whales' campaigners who think that the dumping of fish is somehow preventing seals and whales from getting a decent meal. In reality the Norwegians are only scared in case the whales don't manage to get enough feed to fatten them up before they kill the poor things and then sell them as hvalbiff to mindless idiots who think that eating a mammal of a higher intelligence than the average human is acceptable. Ducking for cover now before the Norskie Whale Eaters disconnect my pooter..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Styles Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 They were only following the law, but yet again it shows what a farce the EU is nowadays, loving the way all the dolphin huggers dont seem to understand the rules, rules are rules, but what a pity instead of our lord and masters in westminister lording over us its some bunch of twats who are even more corupt who really are doing what Hitler dreamed of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 It's a pity that no one has released footage of Norwegian trawlers entering our waters to dump the 'uneconomical' portion of their catch. I have no idea what the solution is but my best guess at one would be immediate withdrawal from the CFP and stand firm until a proper workable fishery can be established. How about sticking a bureaucrat on every boat (there's enough of the buggers) to monitor what goes on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 I'm actually quite angry about that letter so I e-mailed the sender with this:- Perhaps you might like to find out something about the fishing industry and more especially the CFP before you issue such blanket condemnation. Stick to saving dolphins. Yours ArabiaTerra Very well done. I was sorely tempted to do the same but probably wouldn't have had your restraint so decided against it! I wonder if they realise dolphins eat dead fish??? However, perhaps the saddest factor in all this is that what could have been a shocking example of what the CFP means to both conservation and the occupation of fishing today has instead been turned into an ignorant journalistic rant against one unfortunate boat and its crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Actually, to give the Guardian some credit, the editorial comment the next day was a little more realistic putting the blame firmly on the system rather than the fishermen: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/08/fish_on_film_can_it_stop_the_w.html Though some of the comments reveal a disturbing lack of knowledge about the whole affair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubi Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Well said scooper i have been there and seen it but all these do gooders most off whom have never been in a boat think they know all about it I see that discarding fish has now become an EU agenda. Hurrah for that, because it IS international regulations we need. While the debate on Shetlink has been dominated by many people, who are wellinformed and intelligent, I do miss some who can suggest a SOLUTION. It is as sure as Amen in the kirk, that issues like this attracts the do-gooders worldwide. But equally it is not very constructive just to complain or defend. What we need are suggestions for SOLUTIONS. I am sorry to say this is very common for Shetlanders. I love Shetland, I want to live here the rest of my life. But I HATE the common approach to problems up here: Make a carry-on about how bad things are, blame someone else, but never stick your nose too much forward and actually think of how to solve or take a responsibility yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medziotojas Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 I am sorry to say this is very common for Shetlanders. I love Shetland, I want to live here the rest of my life. But I HATE the common approach to problems up here: Make a carry-on about how bad things are, blame someone else, but never stick your nose too much forward and actually think of how to solve or take a responsibility yourself. Hmmm... I don't think attitudes like these are limited to Shetland; far from it. Anyway, to remain on topic, do you have any suggestions? An immediate ban on dumping of fish and a revamp of the quota system would seem to be in order, but without any actual statistics to deal with it's difficult for anyone outwith the industry to come up with a solution. Furthermore, a major part of the problem is that ministers dealing with the problem are simply dealing with statistics of landed fish (and not dumped fish) and they don't have a scoobies about the actual industry or what's involved at the grass roots. Perhaps the ministers involved should go to sea for a week or two, get involved with the work and see what really goes on. ...but that would mean getting their hands dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nederlander Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 So, what are YOUR suggested solutions Bubi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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