Post by seajunky on Feb 16, 2009 10:44:49 GMT -12
Read the Government’s response
The Government does not believe that a blanket ban on commercial fishing activity within one nautical mile of the shore is justified. The inshore zone is important to a number of small scale commercial fishing operators and displacement of their activities could have a number of consequences. Where circumstances require restrictions to be placed on commercial fishing activities, however, the Government and Sea Fisheries Committees (who have responsibilities for inshore fisheries management) can use the range of powers available to them to legislate both for fisheries conservation purposes and for the protection of the marine environment from fishing activities.
These powers have been used to restrict commercial fishing through, for example, national legislation implementing 37 inshore restricted areas for the protection of bass and Sea Fisheries Committee byelaws restricting the length of vessels allowed to fish within 6 nautical miles around the coast of England and Wales.
The Government also acknowledges the significance of the inshore area to recreational sea anglers and has published a draft recreational sea angling strategy which considers within it the pros and cons of restrictions on commercial fishing activity within one mile of the shore. A summary of the responses to this consultation will be published shortly followed by a revised version of the strategy. In the meantime, the Government has launched a number of projects concerning sea angling, primarily in the inshore area namely:
· a review of the effectiveness of 37 protected areas in place for the protection of bass (a species of key interest to anglers). This may result in new protected areas or extensions to current areas around the coast;
· research into the use of restricted areas to benefit recreational sea anglers; and
· a 3 year research study to produce firmer data on the benefits to the sea angling sector from changes in fisheries management
I am hoping to have a meeting with Elin Jones AM to discuss the issue of the "Golden Mile." I think that Westminster will not allow WAG to make its own dicsissions over this issue. I think that WAG will opt for the MCZ's, which could be good if used wisely. However I maintain that there is a very good chance that some great fishing areas will be lost to angling, and only because an interest will not have been declared because of apathy by RSA anglers .
The Government does not believe that a blanket ban on commercial fishing activity within one nautical mile of the shore is justified. The inshore zone is important to a number of small scale commercial fishing operators and displacement of their activities could have a number of consequences. Where circumstances require restrictions to be placed on commercial fishing activities, however, the Government and Sea Fisheries Committees (who have responsibilities for inshore fisheries management) can use the range of powers available to them to legislate both for fisheries conservation purposes and for the protection of the marine environment from fishing activities.
These powers have been used to restrict commercial fishing through, for example, national legislation implementing 37 inshore restricted areas for the protection of bass and Sea Fisheries Committee byelaws restricting the length of vessels allowed to fish within 6 nautical miles around the coast of England and Wales.
The Government also acknowledges the significance of the inshore area to recreational sea anglers and has published a draft recreational sea angling strategy which considers within it the pros and cons of restrictions on commercial fishing activity within one mile of the shore. A summary of the responses to this consultation will be published shortly followed by a revised version of the strategy. In the meantime, the Government has launched a number of projects concerning sea angling, primarily in the inshore area namely:
· a review of the effectiveness of 37 protected areas in place for the protection of bass (a species of key interest to anglers). This may result in new protected areas or extensions to current areas around the coast;
· research into the use of restricted areas to benefit recreational sea anglers; and
· a 3 year research study to produce firmer data on the benefits to the sea angling sector from changes in fisheries management
I am hoping to have a meeting with Elin Jones AM to discuss the issue of the "Golden Mile." I think that Westminster will not allow WAG to make its own dicsissions over this issue. I think that WAG will opt for the MCZ's, which could be good if used wisely. However I maintain that there is a very good chance that some great fishing areas will be lost to angling, and only because an interest will not have been declared because of apathy by RSA anglers .