Inshore dredging business ‘destroying seabed’
Thursday 12th August 2010, 3:00PM BST.
Bob Titterington, left, with fellow scallop diver Harry Woolley.
A SCALLOP diver is calling for tougher fishing laws after a dredger began operating in shallow coastal waters.
For years, divers have fished for scallops in relatively shallow waters while dredging boats have worked deeper areas south of the Channel Islands. But during the last few months one Jersey dredging boat has begun fishing in inshore waters as shallow as 13 ft deep.
Divers, including Bob Titterington (pictured), are now calling for the introduction of new laws to ban dredgers from all coastal areas of Jersey and its reefs. But Don Thompson, chairman of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, said that he would ‘vigorously defend’ the rights of the fishermen.
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Once again here comes Don Thompson vigorously defending the right of his members to destroy the marine environment of Jersey.
Diving is an environmentally friendly way to fish for scallops, dredging completely ploughs up the sea bed degrading the environment.
If we continue like this all that will be left in the sea will be worms, jellyfish and dogfish
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It is very simple to see who is at fault here.
Who sets fisherman against fisherman?
The very Department that should be representing all their interest, but fails woefully to fight a controlling body (EU), that we have no democratic effect upon, when they say ‘Save the Ray!’, Fisheries (Economic Development and Planning and Environment double header!) when we have plenty of them and that a sustainable fishery is totally realistic.
Consequence ..people are forced to exploit whatever stocks are legitimately available.
I feel sorry for Mr Titterington because he is right but I also feel for Don Thompson and those he represents because they have been forced into smaller corners to eke a living.
If only the Fisheries Department had to live in the real world!
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Deja vu – this is exactly why the scallops disappeared from grouville bay back in the 70s, fishermen and conservation the two don’t go together!!!
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Mogit 3 ‘Deja vu – this is exactly why the scallops disappeared from grouville bay back in the 70s, fishermen and conservation the two don’t go together!!!’
you forgot the oyster industry of the mid 19th Century!
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Pip Clement.
You’ve obviously never seen the SEAFISH video of razor-fish dredging !
Where the razor-fish swim (yes swim!!!!) to avoid the dredge and drop back to the cleared position behind the dredge.
Really! I couldn’t believe it until I saw it.
I’ll see if its available on youtube and post it here.
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I frequently see a trawler(not sure if its scallop trawler though) working in St.Aubins bay from just west of Elizabeth castle all the way to behind St.Aubins Fort and upto Noirmont point going back and forth all day long for several days at a time.At times he must be close to the datum line and unless he can pick his way through pot markers, he probably takes a few with him.Must also be scrapping the seabed clean of life.
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Having seen the effect of a dredge on the sea bed and the bycatch that comes up and is then thrown dead and mangled back into the sea I think this must be one of the most destructive forms of fishing known.
There are many species of fish that are now pretty much finished; Grand Banks cod, Mediterranean blue fin tuna, most species of Caspian sturgeon and plenty more that are in real trouble.
If we do not act to protect the marine life, there will not be sea fish for our children to eat.
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As a fulltime commercial scallop diver i totally believe that a total ban on inshore dreding should be inforced immediately as the marine life is getting a hiding,and the sea bed is being damaged very badly along with juvenile shellfish and flatfish,including rays and corals.Also fisherman are loosing pots,nets etc and if our stuborn fisherise dept do nothing i can see better than most our fish stocks will decline even more.They are already in a desperate state and we are now in the 21st century,we must abolish bad means of fishing before its too late.
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If the dregers must fish it must be in the deep water offshore. Scallops live as deep as 600ft down on the sea bed. No where in Jersey waters is actually that deep. Therefore, there are plenty of areas for the dregers too fish off shore. The damage to the in shore ecology done by dreging is unacceptable and they should not be allowed to drege within 3 miles of the coast.
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