Tuesday, 3rd February 2009 - 09:47CET
DLH welcomes guidelines on fish catches
Din l-Art Helwa has welcomed guidelines issued by the Resources Ministry to amateur fishermen on the minimum size of catch for a great number of fish in order to protect against dwindling fish stock.
The guidelines provde that the Dusky Grouper (Cerna) must have a limited catch size of not less than 45cm, the White Sea Bream (Sargu) a minimum of 23cm, the Common Sea Bream (Pagru Komuni) a minimum of 18cm, the Common Pandora (Pagella) and the Horse Mackerel (Sawrella) both a minimum of 15cm.
Stanley Farrugia Randon, a volunteer and council member of Din L-Art Helwa, himself an amateur fisherman, admitted that many amateur fishermen were not happy to receive these guidelines, even though they were based on regulations issued in 1934.
He, however, regretted that the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs have omitted to mention other important fish such as the Saddled Bream (Kahlija), the Dentex (Denci) and the Grouper (Dott) although the regulations of 1934 stipulate a limit of 11.5 cm (Regulation No 35 – Minimum Size Limits). This minimum size limit should apply to any fish not mentioned, he said.
The register of catches reported at the Fish Market throughout the years shows a drastic decrease in the amount of Saddled Bream caught.
Dr Farrugia Randon said the presence of small size fish at fishmongers showed that the illegal practice of catching immature stock was persisting.
He said amateur fishermen should use larger hooks and carefully remove immature fish if these get caught.
"The practice of using small nets (parit), for the most times at the mouths of small bays, should be controlled and fines enforced. The great majority of fish thrown back immediately would survive," Dr. Farrugia Randon said.
He warned that if the practice of catching immature fish continued, the fishing industry would become unsustainable and this would have negative repercussions for Maltese and visitors, not only because food stock would continue to decrease, but the quality of the marine environment around the Maltese islands would deteriorate irreparably.
RSS
Comments
Most luzzu type vessels you see crowding bays using nets etc display MFB/MFA registrations, they are NOT 'amateur' fishermen as the article refers to but in fact designated as Professional Fishing Vessels Part Time. Nets such as Pariti can only be used by MFB/MFA registered vessels, but Malta lacks the necessary resources to effectively patrol and enforce the abuse around our coastline. MFA - Professional Fishing Vessels Full Time
@Adrian Zahra, you like many others have incorrectly tagged these people you see with nets as Amateur fishermen, they are NOT! They are Professional part time fishermen, and unfortunately it's through comments like yours and those of others that recreational fishermen end up being blamed. I prefer recreational fisherman as opposed to amateur to avoid any confusion.
Everyone has their part to play, Malta Fishing Forum and KSFA all actively encourage Catch and Release and educate their members on best practices.
You assume that I am a vegetarian, out of choice. This was not the case and I do not feel I should go into my health history to address your presumptiousness in the matter.
I am not trying to convert you to a more civilised hobby or impose my values on you. I am merely objecting to you comparing fishing to hunting because, as I have explained before time and again, fishermen cast to catch and can choose whether to kill the creature or not, hunters shoot to kill. Fishermen can practice conservation, hunters can't, no matter how you slice it.
And finally, just in case you weren't aware, writing in CAPS on the internet is considered to be shouting. But maybe, expecting someone who's been practicing hunting and fishing for 50 years to be familiar with web ethics was a little bit too much. You were holding a gun and rod long before I was born.
You’re sure trying to get fishermen on the hunting bandwagon…
Fortunately however fishermen do not hinder swimmers in the peak summer season
Neither do they confine swimmers to swim in reserves, or only on Sundays afternoons
They do not swing their hooks on swimmers heads.
Nonetheless if they ever do, we may start hearing of the Federation of Hunters & Hookers or more imaginative St. Hubert & St. Mary Magdalene Hunters & Hookers :)
@ Carmel Camilleri
A vegetarian who thrusts hooks in fish mouths is a bit peculiar
Whatever studies claim, a hook has no place in a fish, and even your term ‘generally survive’ denotes that fish die and survive surely implies an unpleasant experience
The nonsense is "saying that angling can be selective and hunting can't?"
Unlike fishing, where any fish can bite your bait or take your lure, Hunters can identify what they shoot. and be selective. You seem to be unable to distinguish between legal hunting and poaching which is why your argument is nonsense. Fishermen release a fish "if it's too small" and hunters do not shoot what is inedible. So where is your problem?
Hunters hunt game birds which are all edible in the same way fishermen eat all the good sized fish they catch.
I too am a rod fisherman and support fishing regulations. The ruining of our fish stocks thanks to uncontrolled fishing and illegal use of nets goes on unabated. Whilst all hell breaks loose whenever some fool shoots down a protected bird, nothing is done to curb illegal fishing.
Its about time laws are properly enforced and anything illegal be severely punished, Then people like yourself can learn to appreciate that the legal taking of a good sized fish or edible game are two perfectly acceptable and equally enjoyable pastimes.
What you quoted has been contended by other biologists in the know
I didn't need to dig as deep as you had to come to this... This is taken from the first website that pops up when you google "Do fish feel pain" and doesn't refer to the PATA-paid advisor that you quoted...
"The world's foremost expert on the subject is Dr. James D. Rose of the University of Wyoming. He's spent 30 years working on questions of neurology, examining data on the responses of animals to painful stimuli. In 2003 Rose published a landmark study in the journal Reviews of Fisheries Science, concluding that animals need specific regions of the cerebral cortex in order to feel pain. And fish do not have them."
"Fish torture" is just a figment of your imagination.
And, finally, I do not eat fish because I've been a vegetarian since my late 20s.
While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people still think of fish as swimming vegetables. In fact, regarding the ability to feel pain, fish are equal to dogs, cats, and all other animals. Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to the British government, explains, "The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals."
@ Carmel Camilleri.............tipprovax tbellghalna r-ross bil-labra!! You get the thrill....the baiting, the waiting, the bite, the strike, the kill or the release - so do I call fishing as you practice it Fish Torture then? And if you want hunters to eat clay pigeons, why don't you try eating some hniex or fish food pellets then? Perhaps because they don't taste so good?
Where is the nonsense in saying that angling can be selective and hunting can't?
Let me reiterate, just in case I wasn't clear enough in my earlier posts.
In angling, you cast your line, you catch your fish, you unhook it, you release it back to the sea if it's too small... In hunting you shoot it, you kill it, you're lumped with it whether it's fit for the pot or not.
Looks pretty clear to me.
And by the way, i'm a sports angler and a member of a local sport fishing club called Kingfisher Sport Fishing Association. So i welcome these guidelines since they help in ridding me of the dreaded "pariti".
Just in case you're asking yourself what's the difference between sport fishing and hunting.... erm... sport fishing is equivalent to clay pigeon shooting since it doesn't involve slaughtering any creature. Alas, hunters can't eat clay pigeons. Or can they?
Same as hunting. Pesticides, pollution, intensive agricultural practices, climate change and skewed ecosystems are the main causes of declining bird species. The same bleeding heart EU countries and NGO's never mention this! Of course not! Blame tiny tiny tiny Malta and the Maltese hunters. Good for publicity. Good for funding.
"Hunting would usually involve the creature in question being killed or irreparably mutilated. Angling, on the other hand, involves the use of hooks which can be removed without any detriment to creature in question".
You fail to mention what becomes of the large fish that are taken home and eaten.
Unlike fishing were undersized young fish are often caught and hopefully released, the birds shot are all adult and old enough to migrate.
Do not confuse catch and release fishing with amateur angling, were the angler is after a good sized fish for his plate.
Also do not confuse the legal hunting of game birds with the illegal persecution of protected birds. Are you not aware that doves, quail, duck, woodcock make excellent eating.
When you realize the difference you can only conclude that a very strong similarity between fishing for the pot and game shooting exists.
Your argument is nonsense and only points out a dislike for hunting based only on bias with a total lack of common sense and reason.
I do not agree it is ridiculous, actually some limit sizes of species from the respective list should be amended to bigger sizes. Reason being, some of the species in the list are not yet sexually mature at the stated min size limits.
What is really ridiculous... is the amount of fish taken from the sea that has not yet reached sexual maturity by both commercial and sport fishermen.
This is about sustainabililty. The problem is that we are not in the same boat, if you know what I mean.
Secondly, I can see this as the birth of a campaign against fishing. That is how it all started with hunting in the 70's. Certain people cannot just leave others to enjoy their hobby, be it hunting, trapping or fishing. What next?!!!!
All I see is a switch in values. Certain individuals are being so finicky towards certain traditional pastimes while being tolerant towards / turning a blind eye to abortion, etc.
Fishermen beware because you are next!!!
The difference between hunting and amateur fishing and angling is very clear.
Hunting would usually involve the creature in question being killed or irreparably mutilated. Angling, on the other hand, involves the use of hooks which can be removed without any detriment to creature in question.
Fish thrown back into the sea usually survive. I am still yet to see a bird which has been hit by pellets fly again, at least not before its rehabilitated.
A Gilt-head sea-bream (the usual fish-farmed awrata which you find in restaurants) of 20cm wieghs at least 600grams. I am still to come across a gilt-head sea-bream of that size served in a restaurant.
Does this mean that these guidelines should be observed by amateur fishermen and not by professional fishermen and farmers?
Who does the most harm to the environment? The amateur fisherman/angler or the professional fishermen who catch anything that moves?
No confusion on my part. Please look up the meaning of amateur. There are professional anglers and professional sportfishermen, but no professional amateurs!!!. The word amateur was used in context as quoted in the article. I sincerely hope, indeed I am quite sure, that Dr. Farrugia Randon is an amateur fisherman, and like many of us, does not in any way get paid for, or indeed make money out of, practicing the hobby of fishing. We have no interest in making money out of fishing. Indeed, we practice our hobby with a great deal of respect towards the fish we seek. Therefore the quantities of fish caught while practicing our hobby are of no interest to us. However, one cannot attribute the same criteria when it comes to fishermen who either make a living out of fishing, or are financially compensated in any way for the catch they haul in. That category of fishermen can never be classified as an amateur!. To this category, quantities matter, and hence the use of equipment (nets) to increase their catch.
You failed to mention the eu trawlers fast depleting our seas as they have done in other countries waters, especially the Spanish who are renowned the world over for their destruction. Ask the British fishermen what the Spanish trawlers did to their seas because they were given the right to fish in other member countries waters. THEY DESTROYED ALL FISH STOCKS.
That is what they are doing to Malta's fish stocks. DESTROYING THEM UNDER PROTECTION OF TH EU PETTY DICTATORS.
As for DLH, since when has this NGO got fishing in its remit?
The amateur fisheman are not anglers and/or sportfisherman, I think you are making some confusion.
Local law from the 30's??? Anyways... the EU Directives are pasted below ...at least the enforcement of the respective directive.
A marine organism which is smaller than the minimum size specified shall not be caught, retained on board, transhipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold, displayed or offered for sale. (reg.4_Art.15_EC 1967/2006)
Scientific Name:Common name: Minimum size
Dicentrarchus labrax Sea-bass 25 cm
Diplodus annularis Annular sea-bream 12 cm
Diplodus puntazzo Sharpsnout sea-bream 18 cm
Diplodus sargus White sea-bream 23 cm
Diplodus vulgaris Two-banded sea-bream 18 cm
Engraulis encrasicolus * European anchovy 9 cm
Epinephelus spp. Groupers 45 cm
Lithognathus mormyrus Stripped sea-bream 20 cm
Merluccius merluccius *** Hake 20 cm
Mullus spp. Red mullets 11 cm
Pagellus acarne Spanish sea-bream 17 cm
Pagellus bogaraveo Red sea-bream 33 cm
Pagellus erythrinus Common pandora 15 cm
Pagrus pagrus Common sea-bream 18 cm
Polyprion americanus Wreckfish 45 cm
Sardina pilchardus** European sardine 11 cm
Scomber spp. Mackerel 18 cm
Solea vulgaris Common sole 20 cm
Sparus aurata Gilt-head sea-bream 20 cm
Trachurus spp. Horse mackerel, Scad 15 cm
These areas could be combined with the popular diving spots so it woudl encourage more diving tourists also.
This would be a win-win situation for all.
Regulations for the minimum size of catch for fish have been in force since 1934.
Catching small fish has been illegal since 1934. but who ever cares!! We have to be reminded in 2009 about an illegality that goes on uncontrolled.
I was under the impression that fish too formed part of our ecosystem now also part of Europe's. Illegal hunting is constantly splashed upon our faces and rightfully heavily punished. What are the illegal fishermen to expect.
A reminder in 75 years time!!!