Ban nets and get set for an angling boom
1. These are enclosed areas where fish stocks can be quickly wiped out. Turbot, for example, which were once regularly caught in Cork Harbour, have been netted out.
2. They are valuable recreation areas for angling. Productive sea angling also attracts large numbers of visitors, particularly from the UK, who spend large amounts on hotels, restaurants, public houses, guesthouses, tackle, charter boats, and so forth. The income from angling is far larger than from commercial fishing. Anglers return a large proportion of their catch.
3. Fish nursery areas are disturbed and damaged.
4. Undersized fish are killed in nets, but released by anglers.
5. Protected fish, such as bass, can be netted under cover of netting other species.
In the US, netting was banned in large inshore areas to protect the striped bass. Boat-owners who broke the law had their boats confiscated and faced heavy fines. So successful has this been there is now a huge angling population generating an enormous income.
Compensation could be paid to commercial netters where they have a long tradition of such fishing, and where it forms a large part of their income.
Robert Williams
2 Willow Court
Cross Douglas Road
Cork
