Bass Minimum Landing Size:
Action Group secures undertaking from Bradshaw
Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw has given the Bass Action Group an undertaking that he will not lay the Statutory Instrument, giving effect to an increase in the minimum landing size, until he has had an opportunity to review the arguments and evidence presented to him at an 11th hour meeting.
A delegation from the Bass Action Group, led by Dave Pessell from Plymouth, met with the Minister and systematically went through the arguments for and against an increase to 40cms.
“This was a very constructive meeting. Although we only had 35 minutes with the Minister this was sufficient, I believe, to raise significant doubts in his mind as to whether he had made the right decision,” said Dave Pessell.
“The Minister made plain that he had decided to increase the MLS because it was his belief that in the medium to long term everyone including anglers and commercial fishermen and stocks would benefit. In a series of short presentations covering the science, discards, discrimination, impact on commercial fishermen and impact on anglers we challenged the assumptions supporting that belief.
“Critical to our case is the fact that the science demonstrates that bass is harvested within safe biological limits, that there is good recruitment, and that effort is not increasing. This is a sustainable fishery.”
“Furthermore, it is simply not the case that in the medium to long term everyone would benefit. We presented evidence from the markets as to the scale of discarding that will arise directly from an increase in MLS to 40cms and it would be horrendous. Apart from the loss of income to boats, for whom bass makes the difference between survival and insolvency, the image of widespread discarding of bass across our TV screens at a time when there is an EU initiative to eliminate discards would do huge damage to the industry’s image and the Government’s green credentials. The French fleet, by far the biggest player in the bass fleet will continue to fish to a 36 MLS. These two factors alone will negate any theoretical conservation benefits of an increased MLS.
“At his request, we will now present our points to the Minister in writing and he promised to give them due deliberation before arriving at a final decision on whether to proceed. We take his decision to delay laying the statutory instrument as a very positive sign.
“I am sure that the Minister wants to do the right thing for all concerned. The problem has been that to date he has not been made fully aware of the consequences of a unilateral increase in terms of the stocks, in terms of discards, in terms of impact of fishermen and especially in terms of assumed but in fact illusory conservation benefits.” |
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