Recycle Fish Initiative
Recycle Fish is simply an initiative whereby Boat Anglers, Shore Anglers,
Divers, Charterboat Skippers, Private Boat Owners, in fact anyone who cares
about the fish in our seas, can sign up to by leaving their name on an on-line
petition/register.
What does it mean if I sign up?
It means foremost that YOU CARE about fish and want to be part of a sustainable
fishery.
Any other guidelines?
You do not sell fish and that you only take what you need to eat.
That you respect the fish in the sea and that you will return fish alive to
the sea if they are not required for the table.
It means that you know what is right and that you will do all you can to
promote sea angling so that our children and their children can enjoy the sport
as you have done.
What quantities of Fish should I take?
Recycle Fish campaign requests that you agree to a ‘responsible
take’ policy and that you are the kind of person that does not need bag
limits to control your sport.
What does it cost?
It’s Free!
What do I do now?
Go to the Deepsea website
here and follow the instructions to get "Signed Up"
Would you like a free sticker for your car or tackle-box:
If so, send a 110x220mm (4.25 x 8.5inch) stamped addressed envelope to:
Recycle Fish, 10 Portwey Close, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8RF
Skippers:
Please sign up too! Just send an A4 stamped addressed envelope to to the above
address for your free wheelhouse sticker,
Recycle Fish is endorsed and sponsored by
www.deepsea.co.uk
If you would like a copy of the 'Recycle Fish' fish logo for use on your own
stationary, website, emails etc. please use the email facility on this website
here and enter
'Recycle Logo' in the "Your Message" box.
Here at Weymouth we are very lucky to still have good fishing for our
anglers to enjoy, if we want to continue to enjoy this excellent sport then we
must be prepared to adopt a responsible attitude to fish conservation,
The days when it was common place to catch 1000's of pounds of prime Cod,
Pollack, Turbot etc. are long gone and due in no short measure to excessive
fishing pressure,
The Weymouth & Portland Licensed Skippers Association have agreed to promote
a policy of "Responsible Take" this means that if you have caught enough
fish to satisfy your immediate needs then let the rest go back alive, please do
not try to justify the cost of your trip by trying to fill your freezer,
Remember that you are taking part in a 'Sports Fishing Trip' and if you want
to be able to come back and enjoy another successful fishing trip then you
should consider putting back some of your fish, Dead fish do not breed!
Any fish that you do keep are for your own consumption only, it is illegal to
sell any fish that have been caught from Lady Godiva or any other charter boat
that does not have a commercial fishing licence,
Fish that are sold illegally are classed as 'Black Fish' by the Sea
Fish Authorities, it is the sale of 'Black Fish' on the open market that drives
down the price of legally caught fish, this has the effect of forcing commercial
fishermen to increase their fishing effort so that they can earn a reasonable
living from the fish that they sell,
If you have never practiced 'Catch & Release' then please try it, I
can assure you that it is a great feeling to see those fish swimming away when
you have had the power of Life or Death over them and chosen to give them Life!
As a further step towards promoting a responsible attitude to fish
conservation, we will also be adopting some new rules for the many species
competitions that run throughout the year from Weymouth,
In the past these competitions have been run on a points scoring basis so
that when the angler has brought the fish into the boat then the points are
awarded, in an attempt to maximise their scoring potential competing anglers
have been guilty of mishandling fish especially when the hook is difficult to
extract,
The new rules when in force will mean that competitors will only be awarded
the points when in the opinion of the boat skipper the fish has been carefully
released back into the water, anyone found guilty of mishandling a fish will
have those points denied him/her and may face disqualification from the
competition,
In an effort to make the extraction of hooks easier we intend introducing a
'Barbless Hooks Only' rule,
We have been running the Weymouth Conger Festivals on a barbless hooks only
rule since 2005 and it has now been accepted by all competitors that barbless
hooks are just as efficient at catching fish as barbed hooks are!
So the next time you are holding that specimen Bass or Bream or whatever it
may be, just stop and think for a moment and remember the "Recycle Fish" Logo.
© Seadrive Charters
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