from Sunday Herald, 01 July 2012
Ministers are facing mounting pressure to ban trawlers from raking the seabed for prawns to help reverse the catastrophic collapse of fish populations in the Clyde.
A new report by Scottish government scientists has concluded that past fishing has had “a major ecological impact” on the firth. As many of 90% of the fish are now smaller than the minimum landing size, and 72% of them are just one species – whiting.
One factor blamed for preventing the populations recovering is that bigger fish are taken as by-catch by the Clyde’s £20 million prawn trawler industry. Data from the government’s scientific observers suggests that prawn trawlers “may be partly responsible for the current absence of older, larger fish in the Clyde”, the report says.
This has been seized on by conservationists, creel-fishers and anglers to boost their campaign for a ban on prawn trawling within three miles of the coast. But it has been fiercely rejected by the prawn trawling industry, which denies it’s to blame.
The ‘Clyde Ecosystem Review’ published by the government’s Marine Scotland Science, says the Clyde is like “used agricultural land in need of restoration”. Without bigger fish, it will fail to meet the good environmental standards required by the European Union’s marine framework directive in 2020.
“The destructive impact of prawn trawling in terms of damage to the sea bed and high levels of by-catch is now well understood by scientists,” said Robert Younger, chairman of the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, which brings together conservationists and creel fishers.
“There is no prospect for the recovery of the Clyde fishery unless restrictions are placed on trawling by the Scottish government. We are looking forward to working with the government on our plans for restoration of the three-mile trawl ban.”
According to Howard Wood, chair of Community of Arran Seabed Trust, prawn trawling also damaged the seabed and fish nursery grounds. “The Clyde has the potential to recover, but unless we curtail trawling and dredging, fish stocks will not recover,” he said.
Steve Bastiman, chairman of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network, described the Clyde as “a shameful embarrassment” for Scotland's politicians. “Rigorous controls on destructive commercial fishing practices are required if it is to stand any chance regaining its former glory,” he said.
The firth’s 40-plus prawn trawlers were, however, strongly defended by Archie McFarlane, the secretary of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association. The number of fish taken as by-catch was minimal, he argued, and the effect on the seabed was short-lived.
“These claims are made by people who do not understand what they are talking about,” he said. “They blindly refuse to listen to scientific advice.”
McFarlane accused campaigners of acting in their own commercial interests, and blamed the collapse of fish populations on seals. In recent years, he claimed, booming seal populations had consumed three times more fish than fishermen had caught.
The Scottish government’s fisheries secretary, Richard Lochhead, promised discussions with stakeholders to find a way forward. “While there are no quick fixes, I am optimistic that, with the right management in place, the Clyde can once again house a thriving and balanced ecosystem,” he said.
The full report is available for everyone to read from this link: http://bit.ly/LxrkB5
Posted by: Russ Cheshire | 01 July 2012 at 05:27 PM
Does the report also mention scallop/clam dredging which is even more destructive and should be totally banned everywhere.
Posted by: Nikki MacLeod | 01 July 2012 at 10:19 AM