Torness power station hit hard at New Year

Torness was hit hard with Anglers taking all that they could carry at new year every fish caught was bagged by these idiots what more can we do to stop this ? so far everything has been done through the proper channels but it will end up with the true angler taking more drastic action against these clowns so I hope that they can swim as these rocks can be very slippery at times.

Report came in from a concerned Angler.

Should Gill Nets Be Legal 

Torness has been subject to gill nets for years now and the small fish are getting caught up and kept in these nets, this year has been poor fishing due to these nets and something has to be done to stop this, I am going to enquire if this is legal and demand that some sort of action be taken to stop this practice of netting especially so close to shore.  

Fishing Torness power station today the 7th July 06 I was glad to meet two officials from the SFPA who were out patrolling  the area for anglers taking under sized fish. A small bit of advice to anyone thinking that they will not get caught think again, as police assistance is at hand to back up the SFPA officials if the troublesome anglers cause any sort of trouble. These people are only doing the job that we anglers want them to do to protect our sport so be nice to them as they are only wanting to help.

Well it's that time of year again when the bass cull starts to take place, now that the hot water outlet is back on, the place is already starting to fill up with anglers. this is when the Bass population takes a sudden drop in numbers with people taking out the undersized fish. To be honest I feel that during the summer months when the place is at it's peek it should be policed to stop the commercial fishing. The reason I have put it down as commercial fishing is because there a lot of people fishing for the Bass to make gain, like taking the fish to a Chinese takeaway for a meal, also to fish mongers for resale.

I am going down this year to get some pictures of the fishing in full flow and pictures of anyone taking undersized fish and I will shame them with a picture on this web site, it may not be a legal thing to do so sue me I've got nothing so anyone wishing to do so will get nothing. I'm hoping that the true anglers will have a say about this an honest angler puts the small fish back and tries to catch a sizable fish.

Remember taking out the small fish kills the sport so please keep our sport alive by returning the small fish to grow  

This is a copy of the email that I have sent to the SFPA

You may have had complaints before about torness power station and the
annual
bass cull, is there any way that something can be done to prevent
undersized
fish being taken from these waters ? I know that it is not your normal
concern but it is still commercial as the fish being taken are used for
gain, and i feel that something has got to be done to prevent the
illegal
taking of undersized fish. There are a lot of anglers who share in this
concern but don't know what can be done as we don't have a government body
behind us, .can you help?  

Reply received from the SFPA

Dear Mr Sime

Thank you for your e-mail about undersize bass being taken off Torness power station. Our local officers have been visiting the area and will continue to make regular patrols there in order to ensure that the minimum size regulations are respected. Appropriate enforcement action will be taken against those found in possession of undersize fish. This agency will be pleased to receive any information you may have about retention of undersize fish. Such information can be given to the Eyemouth fishery office or HQ here in Edinburgh.

Anyone with information concerning matters on illegal activities regarding fish should contact the address below  or visit the link below for more information on the protection of fish and addresses. 

SFPA FISHERY OFFICE,

 1 MARINE PARADE, EYEMOUTH, 

BERWICKSHIRE, 

D14 5HR. 

Tel. 01890 750 203

Why Is it that so many Anglers feel that they have to keep taking undersized fish from the waters around the coast line ?

Power Stations Are the main concern when it comes to undersized fish being taken and kept because of the bass, but it's not only bass that are on the decline many species like codling, flounder, coley, and wrasse are all being hit hard and this has nothing to do with the commercial boats this is the shore anglers. We were fishing from the end of anstruther harbour a short time ago and to our surprise we watched as other anglers were catching wrasse and killing them when i said to them to put them back their words were we take them to the Chinese takaway and swap them for a meal, It's not only these type of anglers that we have to worry about, It's also the angler that doesn't want to lose a hook, if the fish has swallowed a hook to far down they would rather pull the hook out and kill the fish,  give the fish a chance and cut the line as close to the hook as you can and give the fish a fighting chance, the hooks will perish in a few days to a week and the fish will remain unharmed.

If you are not going to eat your fish that you catch put it back it's the only way to keep the sport alive

Please send in any concerns you may have regarding undersized fish

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