Welcome to the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society
Sunday, April 20, 2008
BASS measuring tape
Length to weight conversion measure for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
The BASS tape measure has been designed to enable bass anglers to have a packable and durable piece of equipment which dispenses with the need to carry a set of weighing scales. On one edge are the measuring increments (in centimetres) and on the opposing edge the length to weight calculations (in lbs and ozs). Whether you retain the occasional bass for the table (above the minimum size limit) or release all your catch, the tape allows you to measure your bass and be able to read off a scientifically calculated weight from the length measurement. To obtain the most accurate reading from the tape, it is preferable that you measure the total length i.e. measure from the nose of the bass to the end of the flattened down (and closed) tail.
The tape is made of a product called Tyvek and can be crumpled up and shoved in your pocket with no ill effects (to you or the tape!). Due to the nature of the material it is tear-resistant, rot-proof, water-proof - in fact it appears near enough indestructible (so ideal for a saltwater environment). It also does not stretch.
The tape is not only useful to bass anglers. As many angling competitions are currently run to total length of fish caught this measuring tape would prove invaluable to all anglers for measuring their catch. (NB - the length to weight calculation is only applicable for European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax).
The tapes may be purchased by non-members as well as BASS members and are available for the princely sum of £2.00 (two pounds sterling) each [see note 1 below] with all proceeds going to the BASS Restoration Project Fund.
Please send cheques made payable to BASS to:
John Morgan
30 Thomas Street
Aberavon
Port Talbot
West Glamorgan
SA12 6LT
[note 1] This figure includes postage within the UK. Orders from outside of the UK will incur extra postage. For further information about postal charges to outside the UK, please contact John Morgan, whose email address can be found in the contact BASS web page.
posted at 3:04 PM - [email this]
Monday, April 07, 2008
BASS AGM 2008
[photo - Clive Hodges (left) receiving the trophy, for the heaviest bass (12lbs) caught on natural bait in 2008, from angling author, Chris Yates. The fish was released. - photo courtesy Alan Parfitt]
On Sunday 30 March 2008, BASS members from all points North, South, East and West, including one member from the 'Emerald isle', descended upon Oxstall Tennis Centre, Gloucester for the BASS AGM.
BASS AGMs are noted for their lack of formality and, despite some very serious issues being discussed, this year was no exception. Old friendships were renewed and new ones made. Members gathered to discuss bassing matters, listen to some very interesting lectures, debate the way forward with regards to bass conservation, browse at some of David Miller's excellent works of art, as well as purchase, a few 'must have' tackle items from Veals tackle stand and watch some very interesting fly tying demonstrations by Steve Binckes & John Taylor. This year members were able to preview the new book, 'Bass and B.A.S.S.' which has been produced by the Society in conjunction with BASS member, Geoff Gonella of Anglers Bookcase, who has edited the book and arranged for the publishing. (N.B. the book is due out in mid April).
Raffle tickets were purchased (this years prizes were exceptional), even the odd late payer renewed his subs!
Peter Macconnell, BASS Chairman, took charge of the proceedings and the day ran like clockwork, ably assisted by the Committee members and other members eager to help.
Mike Ladle, BASS veteran, film maker and well known angling writer, opened the proceedings with a very interesting talk on bait fishing and the use of circle hooks. Mike, who has been involved in fishing, both professionally, as a Fishery research scientist and as an angler, probably for more years than he cares to admit to, is still not averse to learning new skills when it comes to bass fishing. This years lecture was about those newly acquired skills and gave many members food for thought.
The 'official' side of the AGM was kept to a minimum, as is traditional with BASS, although this year a new BASS Treasurer, Paul Owens, was elected into office. John Halton, the previous Treasurer, decided to step down after six years of safely managing the BASS finances. Thank you, John, for your hard work over the years, which is much appreciated by the membership. BASS is financially stronger because of it.
A lively discussion, promoted by the BASS Restoration Project Team, chaired by John Leballeur, ensued. The Restoration team detailed their work concerning the bass mls and other issues currently concerning BASS members and the recreational sea fishing fraternity. Members were given the opportunity to air their views. A useful exchange of ideas concerning the way forward followed, which was continued later in the day, chaired by Peter Macconnell, BASS Chairman, after a very interesting talk by Chris Yates, the well known angling personality and author.
Chris Yates is normally associated with carp and other freshwater species. Who would have known that Chris is actually a 'closet' bass angler, forming his first association with the species as a teenager on holiday with his brother, many years (well a few) ago. Chris gave a talk, literally 'off the cuff' about his bassing experiences, which have been encouraged by his friend and BASS member, Matt Spence. The members sat enthralled listening to Chris, whose relaxed style and enthusiasm for bass, captivated the audience. On behalf of the membership, thank you Chris.
2007 was quite a good year for some members, many of whom collected awards for their catches (all returned). A particularly pleasant occasion was to see John Leballeur, Chairman of the BASS Restoration Project team, as well as co-ordinator of the BASS bass tagging project, a few years ago, not forgetting his work as a BASS Fish recorder for a number of years, be made a 'Fellow of the Society' in recognition of all his hard work. Chris Yates made the presentation.
This years AGM was enjoyed by all those who attended, many journeying home with newly acquired rods, reels, lures, etc., as a result of the raffle which raised a few hundred pounds towards the BASS coffers. Thank you to all those who contributed prizes. Also thank you to all those members who helped to make the day special for those attending. We would also like to thank, Veals, David Miller and Geoff Gonella of Anglers Bookcase, for giving up their time to provide some retail therapy for the members.
Another excellent AGM. See you next year.
posted at 9:06 AM - [email this]
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
No licence
BASS welcomes 'no licence' decision
Commenting upon yesterday's statement by Jonathan Shaw MP, the Fisheries Minister, that proposals to introduce a sea angling licence are to be dropped, BASS spokesman John Leballeur said "At last this administration is beginning to show some sense, when talking about recreational sea angling".
At the recent 'Angling Summit' held in the Palace of Westminster, the Minister had been told by BASS and other sea angling organisations, in the most forceful terms possible, that the current proposal for a sea angling licence was unacceptable to the UK's recreational sea anglers (RSA). This was especially so in the light of his decision not to increase the bass minimum landing size (MLS).
The Minister's failure to take the decision to protect juvenile bass meant, that he had lost the trust of the UK's recreational sea anglers. The overwhelming majority of whom, did not believe he was prepared to deliver any benefits to them. Yet sea anglers were still expected to pay for a licence. For decades the sea anglers' voice has been ignored, whilst at the same time, there has been relentless decline, in both the number and size of fish available to RSA.
Does this announcement mean that the Minister has begun to listen to recreational sea anglers? We hope so. We also hope, that he will continue to act upon what he has been hearing and deliver on his promise to work with BASS and other organisations to improve the UK's recreational bass fisheries, by implementing those other conservation measures, contained within the Bass Management Plan.
However, we will still need to see some positive benefits, in terms of improved fish stocks, before we can be confident that the tide really has turned.
posted at 10:17 AM - [email this]
NFSA press release
Anglers battering the fish heads of Europe
After ten years of stubbornly refusing recreational sea anglers any say in managing fisheries, the European Council has given up and agreed that the euro 8- euro 10 billion (£6-8 billion) they generate each year now qualifies them as a genuine part of the community's fishing industry.
Sea angling has been denied a role in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) since it was set up 25 years ago to regulate commercial fishing.
Jan Kappel, who represents European sea angling interests, including those in Britain, through the European Anglers Alliance in Brussels, found the changed policy tucked away in a little noticed European Council Regulation issued on 25 February.
This stated, for the first time, that Europe's "fisheries sector" now includes both commercial and recreational fishing which it defined as "non-commercial fishing activities exploiting living aquatic resources for recreation or sport.".
Mr. Kappel said that while this level of recognition for angling was welcome, it was not the same as being fully recognised by the CFP and the EU Treaty.
"We still have work to do before we're properly recognised at the highest level as a legitimate stakeholder in Europe's fisheries policy," he said. "However, this new regulation gives us new hooks to use in the waters of the Brussels fisheries directorate."
The regulation set up a Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy.
The National Federation of Sea Anglers (NFSA) is pressing the British government to insist on the CFP embracing angling as well as commercial fishing.
In evidence submitted to a House of Lords committee shortly to review the CFP, the federation puts the case for the CFP to commit to the regeneration of fish stocks to a healthy and sustainable level in a given timetable.
Richard Ferré, chairman of the NFSA said: "We need the CFP to endorse a sensible scale of minimum landing sizes to stop immature fish being taken.
"This would substantially increase the brood stocks which is an essential step in building-up fishstocks from the present perilously low level caused by years of carefree commercial overfishing."
Commenting on the European change of heart, Malcolm Gilbert, said that unless Brussels fully recognised RSA, anglers stood no chance of exerting influence in fisheries management.
He recalled that on a visit to Brussels ten years ago he was met by a senior official in the Fisheries Directorate who stonewalled: "The activity you represent doesn't exist with us, I don't even know why I am meeting with you as the CFP doesn't recognise recreational angling or sportfishing."
Dated 18 March 2008
END
posted at 9:51 AM - [email this]
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
BASS magazine 124
The next issue of the BASS magazine, No. 124, is scheduled for distribution to all BASS members on 4 March 2008.
In addition to the editorial, officer's reports, the letters column and other regular features, the magazine will also contain the following articles:-
- ........last man standing - Steve Butler
- A new angle of attack - Alan Behenna
- Halcyon days - Simon Everett
- Crouching angler hidden dragon - Ian Morris
If you are are not a member of BASS but would like to join and receive the BASS magazine, full details of how to join BASS can be found on this website.
posted at 4:42 PM - [email this]
Monday, January 21, 2008
Everyone loses
"Defra appeasement and inactivity will destroy bass stocks for everyone"
Cornish inshore commercial fishermen have finally admitted that bass stocks in Cornwall are over-fished.
In the 18 January 2008 edition of Fishing News, skipper David Bond of Looe, explained that the lack of available quota for species, such as, cod and sole, has forced the inshore fleet to increase the pressure on non quota species, like bass, using gill nets.
In the article he states: "We have tens of small boats from Mevagissey almost literally crying out after being forced to fish (nets) for bass, when there's already too much pressure on that fishery."
For many years the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society (BASS) have advised Defra, that increasing commercial fishing for bass, was threatening both bass stocks and recreational angling quality.
BASS have repeatedly called on Defra to introduce measures to better protect bass stocks and to accept the government research, which clearly shows that recreational sea angling for bass generates a huge amount of money, by comparison to the value of the commercial catch and supports thousands more livelihoods, particularly in the South West.
The Bass Management Plan written by BASS and presented to Defra, called for a range of measures, including an increase in the minimum landing size to allow all female bass to spawn before capture.
This measure was put out to consultation by Defra, but subsequently turned down. Not on biological grounds, but because of lobbying from the commercial sector and a 'behind closed doors' acceptance by Defra, that it would impact the inshore fleet when quota species were used up.
"The latest admission by skipper Bond has revealed what we all knew would happen, when Defra were afraid to grasp the nettle regarding the minimum landing size increase", states John Leballeur of BASS.
"We now have a situation created by Defra, in which neither recreational nor commercial bass fishermen will benefit and the biggest losers will be the bass stocks and the environment.
The bass which are inshore at this time of the year, tend to be the smaller fish, which have come out of the estuaries. These fish are mostly immature and have not yet spawned.
The failure of Defra to increase the minimum landing size to protect these fish, means that the increased pressure now being exerted by the commercials, will take even more bass before they have ever spawned.
With the lack of available quota on other species, every inshore commercial is now setting gill nets for immature bass, which are non quota species.
This is a recipe for total disaster, a mismanagement of a public resource and a blatant acceptance of an unsustainable situation."
[NB - Skipper David Bond is also quoted in an article by Phil Lockley in the 21 January edition of the Western Morning News. A copy of the article can be read on the Western Morning News website, where you can also leave a comment.]
posted at 11:51 AM - [email this]
Sunday, January 13, 2008
BASS press release
BASS goes to Parliament
Demanding more bigger fish.
On the 21 January, the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society (BASS) will be meeting with MPs of all parties to discuss proposals to further develop the valuable UK Recreational Bass Fishery.
Though the new Fisheries Minister (Jonathan Shaw MP) recently backed down from increasing the legal size at which bass can be taken, there are still worthwhile conservation proposals for bass encompassed within the highly praised Bass Management Plan which he has stated that he will take forward.
Inshore netting restrictions, protection for spawning bass and a review of bass nursery area regulation are all being actively looked at by the Minister.
John Leballeur chairman of the BASS Restoration Project Team said "This is an opportunity to present our arguments for the development of the UK's valuable Recreational Bass Fishery, and the need to change our fisheries management of bass in ways that will increase angler participation, including the business opportunities and livelihoods dependent upon a thriving Recreational Sea Angling Sector.
What the Recreational Bass Fishery needs more than anything, is more bigger fish of the size most prized by anglers, allowing many more fish to grow bigger, and with a good few approaching the 20lbs plus that nature intends.
We are grateful to Martin Salter MP for all of his previous efforts, and for providing this opportunity to present our proposals to a wide audience of parliamentarians."
End
[note - information about the Bass Management Plan can be found on this website]
posted at 10:54 AM - [email this]
Sunday, January 06, 2008
BASS press release
Question of Trust
Labour is on course to lose the Angling Vote
That is the conclusion that many are coming to in the aftermath of the recent decision by Jonathan Shaw MP to abandon previous government policy to protect the UK's important and valuable Recreational Bass Fishery.
With local fishermen's organisations protesting that reduced fish quotas for 2008 are likely to drive some smaller inshore boats out of business, it is becoming clearer why Jonathan Shaw MP, the newly appointed Fisheries Minister, has overturned previous Government promises and sacrificed the opportunity for building a first class UK saltwater sports fishery, providing many more business opportunities and livelihoods in the Recreational Sea Angling sector, by abandoning the previous Fishery Minister's decision to increase the minimum landing size for bass.
Bass are a slow growing and late maturing species, capable of growing to over 20lbs, living some 25 years and capable of spawning up to 15 times.
But they are now harvested as baby fish at just 36cm (around just 1lb in weight) and before they have ever had the opportunity to spawn.
Bass have historically been a recreational species especially prized by anglers and second only to salmon in their status and value as a premier sportsfish.
The value of the Recreational Sea Fishery for bass is worth considerably more than the commercial fishery, supporting many businesses and livelihoods.
However, increased inshore netting, as well as the development of the controversial method of pair-trawling for spawning congregations, means that anglers now rarely encounter fish of the stamp and quality which anglers most prize.
The problem is that there is no commercial quota for bass, and only a meaningless 5 tonne per week per boat landing limit (an unimaginable number of fish) to 'restrict' catches.
The danger is that with falling quotas for other species, and no cap on the number of boats that can fish for bass, or the amount of gear that each boat can deploy, fishing effort on bass will increase significantly, as boats turn to bass to maintain their profits as the reduced quota for other species is used up.
It is now almost certain that bass of any size will soon become a much rarer catch for UK anglers and inshore fishermen alike.
No doubt Jonathan Shaw MP has followed the advice of his Defra fishery officials in the light of the problems of the inshore fishing fleet but unfamiliar with the opportunities and economic importance of the Recreational Sea Angling sector, it is likely that he has made a grave political and economic miscalculation which will cost his party dear when the Angling Vote is next cast at the polls.
John Leballeur, chairman of the BASS Restoration Project Team said "what he has done by handing bass, the most valuable recreational species, to the commercial sector for unrestrained exploitation, is to tear up the assurances given in the past by the Labour Party that "Angling is safe in Labour's hands", and ripped the heart from Labour's 'Angling Charter'.
That is unless Jonathan Shaw MP has other plans to restore the damage that his decision has bought about.
But it would appear that time is not now on his side to gain the trust of Britain's millions of anglers, whether they fish for bass or not".
ENDS
posted at 1:22 PM - [email this]
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
BASS magazine 123
The next issue of the BASS magazine, No. 123 is scheduled for distribution to all BASS members by about 10/12 December 2007.
In addition to the editorial, officer's reports, the letters column and other regular features, the magazine will also contain the following articles:-
- That's the way to do it
- Catch and Release and catch again
- Mistakes are made
- Winding up
- The Longest Day
- Grand Slam
If you are are not a member of BASS but would like to join and receive the BASS magazine, full details of how to join BASS can be found on this web site.
posted at 9:39 AM - [email this]
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
NFSA press release
Minister's "heartbreak" over cod - and over bass, too
The fisheries minister (Jonathan Shaw) today described on BBC Breakfast as "heartbreaking" that EU rules were forcing fishermen catching cod in the North Sea to throw them back dead.
Richard Ferré, chairman of the National Federation of Sea Anglers, said today that a month ago Mr. Shaw himself in a scarcely publicised move, committed an equally heartbreaking act telling fishermen that they were free to go on slaughtering in the sea and then selling, huge numbers of small "plate size" immature bass.
"It is ironic that at the first sign that cod stocks may be recovering the first thing the minister wants to do is to take more fish out of the sea," he said.
"The same philosophy no doubt guided his decision to allow the bass slaughter to continue. In the longer term such actions threaten fishstocks and the livelihoods of commercial fishermen and the 19,000 people employed in the sea angling industry."
The bass fishermen are now allowed to kill are only 36cm (14 inches) long and not big enough to spawn.
"He completely reversed a decision by his predecessor (Ben Bradshaw) who after months of deliberation had agreed to protect baby bass from overfishing and raise the landing size to 40cm (nearly 16 inches), " said Mr. Ferré. "It was part of a plan to raise the size to 45cm (nearly 18 inches) by 2010 by which time the fish caught would all have spawned."
It was to have been part of a programme to regenerate bass stocks, allowing them to grow much bigger and develop valuable fisheries for both commercial fishermen and sea anglers. The recreational sea angling industry is worth £1 billion a year and there are a million sea anglers.
But Mr. Shaw said he could not back the measure because the brunt would have been borne by the inshore fishing fleet "given its current pressures and the present healthy state of the stock."
His short sighted action has been condemned by the government's own parliamentary spokesman on angling (Martin Salter MP) who said he had seen nothing to suggest, as the minister did, that raising the size limit would have a "significant impact" on commercial fishermen. Mr. Salter added that the survival of any species was dependent on its ability to breed at least once.
END
posted at 10:20 PM - [email this]