Robbie Colligny and Don Thompson, chairman of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, with their catch of undulate ray Picture: TONY PIKE (00900007)
THIS haul of fish could be one of the last ever catches of undulate ray to be landed by the Jersey fishing fleet.
Fishermen claim they will lose up to £1 million a year when a European Union ban on catching the valuable flatfish is extended to Jersey waters at the end of next month.
The ban, introduced across Europe to safeguard the future of the under-threat fish, has angered Island fishermen because Jersey is one of the few places where stocks are high.
This week fisherman Robbie Colligny landed 300 kg of the ray, which is sold as skate, after just one day’s fishing. The catch would be sold for between £800 and £900. It is expected that because of tidal conditions, the fleet will be able to fish for the undulate ray only two or three more times before the ban is introduced.
Article posted on 27th February, 2010 - 2.58pm
6 Article Comments
“…the fleet will be able to fish for the undulate ray only two or three more times before the ban is introduced.”
How exactly does one “not” fish for for a species which presumably shares the habitat and habits of its similar cousins?
With an aqualung and a torch presumably, where bottom feeders are concerned.
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Hmmm, losing out on £1million when ray’s worth £3/kilo? do the fleet catch 333 tonnes of Undulate Ray at year? I don’t think so!!! Sorry boys, but you’re not gonna get any sympathy when you lie to us.
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This species is specific to certain areas, would it not be in the interest of fishermen to put forward protected areas where these fish are allowed to grow, re-produce and stock not only the Islands waters but spread to others.
When ever conservation issues are raised with local commercials they respond with the answer ” if we put them back foreign fishermen will take them” well here we have a blanket ban and they still spit the dummy.
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Given that black bream has gone from a common species in island waters to being fairly rare and a shore caught plaice is something of a rarity the opinions of commercial fishermen should be taken with a pinch of salt.
The Guernsey lads are happily driving the bass in the same direction by killing them on the main spawning ground.
I would say the most common species in island waters is now the lesser spotted dogfish. They are of no commercial value and can survive the trauma of being dragged along in a trawl net and then thrown back.
Another good sign of the degradation of island waters is the huge numbers of squid and cuttlefish now being caught. They are fast growing, eat anything and everything so are perfectly adapted.
Maybe the recreational divers could take some footage of the devastation wreaked on the sea bed by beam trawling. If beam trawling was being carried out on land in full sight of the public it would be banned.
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2008 official figures published online for all ray and skate species: 79 tons value £ 199,000.
So not sure where this article above got the quoted figures from.
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Anyone who saw ‘The End Of The Line’ or read the book would treat anything that fishermen say with some suspicion.
The cod on the Grand Banks were fished to effective biological extinction before the fishery was closed in 1992.
Eighteen years later the stock has still not recovered. It is almost certain that the Mediterranean blue fin tuna will follow it within a few years at the most and there are plenty more species that are on the critically endangered list.
One day there will just be worms and jellyfish left if we continue with this but I suppose industry could find a way of sucking them up, grinding them into goo and then reforming them into a crab stick for the end of the twenty first century.
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