Mackerel Reports '11 here...

[Senor Feeshy]

Dun Laoghaire West Pier

20/07/11

Caught a big one fishing into the harbour near the end of the west pier. He went for a strip of mack on a one hook flapper

[Stephen8wood]

Mackerel could vanish from Britain’s fishmongers + supermarkets within 3 years because giant foreign trawlers + factory ships are allowed to strip out the entire stock,scientists have warned.Dozens of vessels including some from Russia + the far east have moved into the waters around the Faroe islands +Iceland, after the islands abandoned quota agreements to protect stocks.Instead hundreds of thousands of tonnes will be swallowed up by factory ships such as the Hong Kong controlled Lafayette,it steamed into Faroese waters recently + is processing 1360 tonnes daily.
The vessel is just one of several such ships working around the Faroes.They and Dutch owned fish processing plant in the Faroes are being supplied by 20 super trawlers.Similar operations are taking place around Iceland.”There were about 3m tonnes of adult mackerel in the northeast atlantic at the start of the year but by the end we will have removed about a third of the entire breeding stock” said Paul Fernandez, a leading fisheries researcher at Aberdeen university.”The fishery will collapse”.
Mackerel were,until last year,protected by coastal states agreement involving the EU,Norway,Iceland + the Faroes,Russia had observer status.Under the agreement about 64% of the 580,000tonnes caught each year went to EU countries. 26% to Norway + about 5% each to Russia + the Faroes.Recent years have seen a booming demand for fishmeal for which summer caught mackerel are perfect.When the Faroes + Icelandic governments asked for a larger share of the quota so they could exploit this market they were rebuffed by the other coastal states.After talks failed last year they decided to pull out of the agreement + offered their fleets a massively increased quota of about 136,000 tonnes each.As there are approx 50,000 people living in the Faroes this equates to about 2.7tonnes of mackerel a person.The EU,Norway +Russia responded by refusing to cut quotas for their fleets.The result is a stalemate that will push the likely total catch to 907,000 tonnes.Even the Faroe islands fisheries director, admitted that the mackerel fishery had become “a disaster in the making.”
Richard Benyon,Britains fisheries minister said mackerel would top the agenda when EU fisheries ministers meet this week.

About as serious as these things can get.

[matt69]

Fished skerries habour today 15.oo to 17,30. I had six my daughter had her first mackeral

[Tofish]

a few showing up at the mouth of the boyne falling to all types of spinners but still in no great numbers

[tex]

Don't think any of us will be catching much if nothing is done to salvage the fishery,can't be good what they're doing out there...

[PETERG]

fished cobh this morning for a couple of hours = blank

[stevo74]

Caught 5 at kilcoole beach today. Prob could have more but switched to bait fishing after.

[kerrywez]

Was out on a boat yesterday and the skipper tried all round Valentia Island and for all his good work we could not find any fish worth. There were 10 men and the skipper also tried for some macks, as we all wanted some bait, but for all our efforts we had just 8, I was lucky to have 4 on one drop and right at the end the angler next to me had 4 also. The guy next to me was using very small hooked feathers, the hooks were not bigger than size 8 and mine were quite small also. some of the guys got launce which we used for bait. In all we had two haddock, three pollock, about 5 coalies about 7/8 pouting, no cod or whiting which was a very big surprise. We all know that the entire fish population is very much dependent on the macks so if they are not there then the fish which hunt them will not be either. The skipper said it was his worst day this year if not ever, that is just how bad it is here in Kerry.

Regards Wez

[sturmik]

Had one big fat mackerel- stripped like blue tiger - didnt see any looking like that during last year mackerel season, he was fighting really hard.
Anyway- that was the result of 7h morning to lunch Saturday fishing in North Clare - Ballyreen (blank) and BlackHead (1). Saw guy cathing 7-8 at Blackhead but he was casting feathers really far away -so maybe that's the reason. Very disapointing sesion,saw 20-30 anglers and no fish except few single macks. Not even crab to eat mack strips on hooks during btm fishing. Dead water. Hope things will be better next month.

[bitsinbobs]

few caught off whithead / carrickfergus from boat , not big but tasty

[eoghanb]

A couple being caught around balbriggan,very disappointing concidering its nearly august

[baitdigger]

Had one big fat mackerel- stripped like blue tiger - didnt see any looking like that during last year mackerel season, he was fighting really hard.
Anyway- that was the result of 7h morning to lunch Saturday fishing in North Clare - Ballyreen (blank) and BlackHead (1). Saw guy cathing 7-8 at Blackhead but he was casting feathers really far away -so maybe that's the reason. Very disapointing sesion,saw 20-30 anglers and no fish except few single macks. Not even crab to eat mack strips on hooks during btm fishing. Dead water. Hope things will be better next month.

They always disappear for a few weeks but they are very late to come back. As well as casting a long way we are using very small black or white baitcatcher style feathers rather than the normal ones.. The Fanore and Lisdoonvarna SAC have their international week soon and it will be interesting to see how the lads in that get on landing the mackerel.

[Gilks]

A reasonable trickle of mackerel at Dun Laoghaire (end of the west pier) on Thursday afternoon (21st July), although they took a while to start coming - from about 2 hours before high water onwards (2-4pm, left after that). All were caught off open side of the pier and opposite the other pier rather than inside the harbour although anything could have caused this. Varying sizes including one half-metre monster. A few double hook-ups but nothing more. All caught off the bottom, sometimes within 10 metres of the wall. Pink/green/blue feathers used. Lots of sand eels visible on the the surface by the wall, one seal, no pollock. Fairly warm and sunny, light wind from east. Plenty of others fishing out there too.

[Der]

Near Miltown Malbay last night and fishing off the rocks. We had 10 macks between two anglers for about 3 hours fishing. The macks were few and far between. We had a flat calm sea with plenty of jelly fish.

I hope the season improves.

[Davebouy]

Out in the boat yesterday evening from Howth. Caught about 40 mackeral in 2 and half hours. Most were a good size. Taking into account what's going on around the Faroe Islands it wont last much longer. You can also be pretty sure that the next EU fisheries meeting will not solve what seems to be a disaster in the making.

[FMCN]

Ardglass golf club. Monday and Tuesday morning at dawn on a flooding tide about 1 hour each day. 6 macks Monday only i joey this morning. Still few and far between.
Mess left behind by so called anglers was a disgrace!

[tex]

Sligo rock mark over high water,saw 1 being caught,very sad.

[taz]

Sligo rock mark over high water,saw 1 being caught,very sad.

ya especially since ya didn't catch it

[Creep]

9 mackrel on Poolbeg incoming tide on monday 25th, all single hooked, no shoals

[sturmik]

Galway harbour - high tide -today
I tried 2h with no luck. A lot of Russian/Romanian anglers......
After me came some Romanian looking guy and stand beside me. He caught maybe 15 macks in one hour. Taken by a really small silver feathers. Macks were quite small size and my 2/0 hooks were probably too big for them. Have to come back with smaller size feathers... Anyway , it not that bad as I thought.