Cod limits

[Trojan]

I wouldn't be the most up to date with any fishing rules or bye laws as i have only been taking part just over a year now,but what law im very familiar with is on bass - minimun size,quantity etc.What i wanted to know if anyone could shed some light on the subject is how come there is no such thing in place for cod?People have no problem keeping bucket loads of them when caught but when a bass is kept on the rare occasion there are always raised eyebrows.I know there is probably an easy answer to this that im not aware of but it just got me thinking why this was.

Any information would be great cheers

[bhoy32]

the ifsa minimum size for cod that is to be retained for culinary use is 40cm

[midnight oil]

the ifsa minimum size for cod that is to be retained for culinary use is 40cm

As far as I am aware, IFSA have absolutely NO powers to place any size limits on fish. IFSA is nothing more that a club as far as I can tell and all that they have the "powers" to do is set limits for competitions.

If i wanted to keep 200 codling all under 10cm then there is nothing that can be done about. The cod stocks, or any other for that matter, are not give any sort of protection like the bass are. This in my viewpoint is a problem that we will regret in decades to come

[barry murphy]

yeah there is no law on the size limit or bag of fish like cod whiten ect the ifsa have a size of 40cm but has no power its only a guideline.
it is shocking to see the amount of cod been kept at the moment any night you can go down the river when the cod are in and lads taking bags of fish from 200cm up.i just dont see why people dont think there over exploiting them the same people would give out about a net if they saw one yet anglers are taken 100s of cod when there running.
im not against keeping a few fish but there need to be some size limits and bag limits brought in its not only the trawling laws need updating but all fishing laws so that we can have fish in years to come.

[bhoy32]

the ifsa minimum size for cod that is to be retained for culinary use is 40cm

was only trying to give him an idea of what minimum size cod is acceptable by one of the largest angling organisations in the country for culinary use is 40cm. i never said it was a legal size limit. im well aware of the lack of a legal size and bag limit. imho anyone who catches cod over 40cm is well entitled to keep any amount of them. anglers are not now or are ever going to make any impact on cod stocks. for those of you that do believe that the cod you release are going to survive the trauma of having a chemicaly etched hook stuck into its gullet and ripped from the depths then gently released are only codding yourselfs because in reality about 90% of cod that are returned are going to die sad fact but its the truth

[Tom Maher]

only codding yourselfs

hehe

"codding yourselfs"

puns are funny

[barry murphy]

about 90% of cod that are returned are going to die sad fact but its the truth[/quote]
were did you get them statistics john?
most fish esp bigger fish will surive when returned if they are handled right .but your right i do see fish die mostly small ones but next time yon see a lot of fish dying at a competition have a look at the handling and unhooking by people.i know its hard when things are hectic its hard and am guilty of rushing handling of fish too in these situations

[bhoy32]

i got my stats from my own observations both pleasure fishing and at competitions. i think most people handle cod properly only to see them go belly up and float up tide ive personaly witnessed it on every fishing trip where cod have been caught not many people could argue to contrary an old saying comes to mind here " nobody as blind as those that dont want to see"

[home from the sea]

sad and cruel should be stopped

[corbyeire]

dont commercial boats have a size limit, as do the the market fish counters - both unforceable or unkown

[tomgrey]

Hi lads,

Just to say I secound that "anglers are not now or are ever going to make any impact on cod stocks" or any salt water fish stocks for that matter. It is impossible for the rod and line to cause any decline in fish numbers even if there are no bag limits. What all anglers in Ireland keep for the table or freezer in a whole year would probably not amount to the taking of one big trawler load, considering that can be in tonnes.

I have been in some of the busiest sessions along the wall in monkstown in Cork which is probably one of the bussiest spots in ireland that I have fished when the cod are running and I have seen first hand the size of some of the bags taken. If you added all the anglers catches together (sometimes about 30 anglers on busy days), if everyone is catching, you are still only talking about 150 fish. Its just insignificant AND THATS A FACT.

My landlord is an ecologist in his 70's and has done much work on reports for the government on conservation, enviromental impact statements and the like. He was one of rte's longest running radio presenters with a wildlife program on radio 1. Anyway he agrees that the rod and line has never had an impact on any fish species.

Even though I comply with laws on limits, to me its ridiculous that there are limits imposed on anglers. This is one of the only means that we as individuals can provide for ourselves if needs be. And believe me there will always be the need to do that wheather times are bad or not.

[dangler]

I disagree with the point made that anglers will never make an impact on any saltwater fish stocks. What happened to all the skate that were once common on the west coast in the 60s and 70s? They were caught by anglers, killed, brought back to the port to be weighed and get there picture taken and then dumped . You mention monkstown and say that on a busy day there may be up to 150 fish caught per day. If they are to be kept than there will be 150 less at the end of the day taken from a small area and a localised shoal. Maybe you wont wipe out the stocks completely but you are chipping away at them none the less. Dont get me wrong I sometimes keep fish myself. Over the summer I was fishing a boat trip and the cod were like mackerel comming up 2 and 3 at a time. I have rarely ever withinessed this happen but when it did I didnt take advantage and take every edible fish home hovever I did I take one or two. A limit should be brought in as was brought in for bass. And it should be enforced. No one who kills every edible fish they catch on a day should give out about trawlers and commerical fisherman because it highly hypocritical. Yes the impact from commericals and trawlers is far greater but if you want to make a change you must first lead by example.

[immunecfg]

there are piss all fish of decent takable size to lead by example, of those fish that are put back im sure they will end up dead thrown over the side of some trawler.

The way quotas are used needs to be changed drastically!

[Al and Jordan]

one point being overlooked here in the comparison with rod and line versus trawlling is the fact that in the effort to catch 150 cod (on line) there wasnt a tonne of other fish killed and discarded as by catch as is the norm with the commercial sector......... so on that baisis there is no real comparison at all. ok 150 cod are now not in the water, but just watch a single episode of trawlermen on the tv and you'll see what i mean

[Jayball10]

but just watch a single episode of trawlermen on the tv and you'll see what i mean

watched an episode of this. absolutely nuts! agree there should be some limit on cod but not as strict as bass. i often hear stories from family and friends about how our fathers and grandfathers used to take home bags and buckets of big cod which affected the stocks. now they are starting to make a come back we should try and help them along. also agree with the point about times being tough and why buy fish when we can bring home our catch, so its a tricky subject but an interesting debate.

[youonlythevinegar123]

I completely agree with dangler. If the stocks are to ever return to anything remotely like fishing 20 or 30 years ago people have to limit their catch. I feel in terms of codling/cod anglers should be limited to 3/4 fish per 24 hours. Also I feel that the minimum size limit should be 3 pounds. This would not only retain the stocks but also would see the average size of the stocks raised to 3 lbs which would be brilliant for better fights etc.

[Rampent Wreckfish]

The Minimum size limits for commercial vessels in Irish waters are

Cod-35cm
Coalfish-35cm
Haddock-30cm
Pollock-30cm
Hake-27cm
Whiting-27cm
Black sole-24cm
Plaice-27cm
Ling-63cm
Megrim-20cm
Mackerel-20cm
Herring-20cm
Horse mackerel-15cm
Conger- 58cm

Crayfish 110cm carapace length
Lobster 87cm carapace length






Q. How is it decided if sea- fishing is Commercial or Recreational?


A. Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority staff will be guided by the legislation in force in determining whether a person is engaged in commercial or recreational fishing. As the sale or purchase of quantities of sea-fish less than 10kg does not require a sales note any such landings of sea-fish would not be considered commercial. However any landings of sea-fish over 10kg by recreational fishermen may require further investigation by Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority staff to determine that such fish was for personal use and not for commercial sale.

[John D]

Here's a little bit of food for thought. It's a point I copied from a post Jonathan Dukes (aka 'teacher') submitted to another thread on the site. I don't mean to come across as pessimist, I'm just being real. While a cut in any shape or form is keenly welcomed it's important to keep a view of the bigger picture. Anyway here's the point:

Following negotiations in Brussels there has been a cut in fish quotas. They have been cut as an average by 0.9%.
The EU commission, based on the best scientific advice available, which cost many hundreds of millions of Euros to assemble, recommended an average cut across all species of about 22%. This was recommended to try to preserve the stocks and therefore the long term future of those people whose jobs depend on them. The Minister and his Department ignored the commissions advice and dug their heels in coming away with virtually no cut at all. Once again short term concerns took priority over the long term future of those in the commercial sector and the long term protection of the fish stocks that belong to us all. The fact that the FIF were happy with the outcome must tell you something. Sadly the concerns of the small inshore fishermen who have the ability to fish in a sustainable manner have been ignored again.

Regards,
John D.

[fitzyfeen]

great info here, thanks lads

[tomgrey]

It was mentioned that skate stocks were damaged by anglers on the west coast, the comment about anglers killing them just to take pictures then dumping them etc is an irrelevant emotional statement that should not be associated with the majority of decent anglers who fish from our shorelines and keep fish for the table. Killing fish just to take pictures then dumping them is wrong which I think nobody here or any decent angler would agree with. I would say that using this as an example is wrong as these fish are also fished for commercially. To say that local marks are overfished for cod too is silly. Cod shoul in and out and marks like monkstown produce good catches time and time again no matter how many anglers fish there. Once their food source is there the fish will come in to feed. I don't understand the comment about being hypocritical because If I want to eat fish I go out and catch it for myself, and If I had my way I would suggest that people should not eat fish that they didn't catch themselves. See how quickly fish stocks would return then. I target a species and I dont kill hundreds more fishing for it.

I did say that the rod and line does not have a significant impact on salt water species and I stand by that but I am mainly talking about cod here. A single cod can reproduce very quickly with mature females laying between 3 to 9 million eggs per season. These reproducing females need protection from trawlers not anglers. The fact is that you are wrong if you think that shore anglers damage fish stocks.

I think in some cases anglers saying that there needs to be a limit put on catches probably reflects more on their prejudices than their understanding of ecology. I come across so much prejudice by fishermen towards foreigners especially polish people because so many use fishing as a food source. I am not saying that anyone here is guilty of this but I think in some way we are all a bit guilty. I strongly disagree with this bad mouthing of foreigners but have not confronted people when i hear it even though I know its wrong. I think that some fresh water species in certain locations have been affected by overfishing by some foreigners because they were irresponsibly keeping bags of fish thus wiping out local populations. But not all foreign or Irish fishermen for that matter are so irresponsible. I do a lot of freshwater fishing so I have seen this first hand. Do we as sea anglers carry some of these prejudices?