# Recreational Longline fishing



## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

Yep you read it correct, as crazy as it reads, over here in the UK we can lay as many longline sets as we like,from a kayak, boat or staked at low tide in theory we can put out hundreds of hooks. As long as we don't sell the catch and the fish are for our own consumption its all perfectly legal, is it any wonder our fish stocks are so low..... 

Are you guys allowed to recreational longline?


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

Nope - here in the State of South Australia we are allowed a max of two rods with a max of 3 hooks on each (ganged hooks count as 1). Size and Bag limits also apply to what can be taken. Other Aussie States have different rules on fishing devices and bag and size limits.


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## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

solatree said:


> Nope - here in the State of South Australia we are allowed a max of two rods with a mx of 3 hooks on each (ganged hooks count as 1). Size and Bag limits also apply to what can be taken. Other Aussie States have different rules on fishing devices and bag and size limits.


Ah yes you have a bag limit/quota I forgot about that


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## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

kraley said:


> roller said:
> 
> 
> > Yep you read it correct, as crazy as it reads, over here in the UK we can lay as many longline sets as we like,from a kayak, boat or staked at low tide in theory we can put out hundreds of hooks. As long as we don't sell the catch and the fish are for our own consumption its all perfectly legal, is it any wonder our fish stocks are so low.....
> ...


I don't know , but it can't be good, if I like I could set a line with a 1000 hooks this afternoon......


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## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

roller said:


> kraley said:
> 
> 
> > roller said:
> ...


 we need to adopt a few Aussie measures before its too late, this season so far, has been the worst cod season on record...


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## si75 (Feb 26, 2008)

Are size limits in the UK in any way legally binding? When I lived over there there were minimum sizes for trawlers, but I dont think that anglers necessarily had to abide by them (but most had their own, higher, self imposed limits). Didnt make a lot of sense when the frenchies over the water would happily take a 25cm bass anyway.

There certainly werent any bag limits or licences thats for sure.


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## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

si75 said:


> Are size limits in the UK in any way legally binding? When I lived over there there were minimum sizes for trawlers, but I dont think that anglers necessarily had to abide by them (but most had their own, higher, self imposed limits). Didnt make a lot of sense when the frenchies over the water would happily take a 25cm bass anyway.
> 
> There certainly werent any bag limits or licences thats for sure.


Its a bit of a free for all TBH, size limits should be legally binding but I've never read about anyone getting prosecuted, the trouble is we have so many different races and cultures coming and going. Recently we've had the Portuguese come over in droves they take anything that takes a hook, same with the Asians, but recently we've had lots of Eastern Europeans come over and they've been netting the rivers and lakes for freshwater fish, they've been taking 30lb carp and specimen pike, wiping some rivers out, as you can imagine this has been driving the freshwater course angler crazy as they put 99% of fish back, we have no law to stop them , other than they don't usually have a freshwater rod licence.

Of course not doubt we have some home grown illegal fishers...


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## skorgard (Oct 6, 2007)

Before I left the UK to come back to Australia I was on the Board of Trustees (equivalent to the Board of Directors) of the U.K.'s only charity directed to Marine conservation, the Marine Conservation Society. Despite the staggering funding for other wildlife organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we managed on a tiny budget of only a couple of million pounds per year. The impact we were able to have was minimal with government policy being largely ineffectual. There were some small successes such as the declaration of the first marine "no-take" zone but fishing methods which caused huge amounts of bycatch were persisting. For example, there was the tandem method of trawling for sea bass which caught huge numbers of healthy dolphin but we were powerless to try and have any impact.

Clearly one of the main problems in the UK is its need to liaise with the other nations within the EU. As a result I think it is likely that the UK fishing zones will end up like the Grand Banks. At least here in Australia we have more autonomy over our marine environment and one can be a little more optimistic, but not complacent.

A fundamental problem is that in general prices for seafood do not follow the normal rules of supply and demand. Usually, when the supply of product diminishes, the price goes up to quench demand. However given that food globally is fairly cheap, as soon as an item becomes expensive it then becomes a luxury and people almost compete on how much they are prepared to pay for a fish : note the absolute record prices paid for tuna at the Japanese fishmarket; the price of caviar which will ensure the extinction of the sturgeon; the pillaging of Pacific salmon on Russia's east coast.

Sorry to be depressing on this topic but I think that it is reality. Roller, suggest that you join MCS (http://www.mcsuk.org/) and support them before it is too late.


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## roller (Jun 18, 2009)

skorgard said:


> Before I left the UK to come back to Australia I was on the Board of Trustees (equivalent to the Board of Directors) of the U.K.'s only charity directed to Marine conservation, the Marine Conservation Society. Despite the staggering funding for other wildlife organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we managed on a tiny budget of only a couple of million pounds per year. The impact we were able to have was minimal with government policy being largely ineffectual. There were some small successes such as the declaration of the first marine "no-take" zone but fishing methods which caused huge amounts of bycatch were persisting. For example, there was the tandem method of trawling for sea bass which caught huge numbers of healthy dolphin but we were powerless to try and have any impact.
> 
> Clearly one of the main problems in the UK is its need to liaise with the other nations within the EU. As a result I think it is likely that the UK fishing zones will end up like the Grand Banks. At least here in Australia we have more autonomy over our marine environment and one can be a little more optimistic, but not complacent.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the post Bud very interesting, the EU have stipulated the UK must set-up Marine Conservation Zones in pockets all around the UK coast, they'll will be implemented in 2011, but I don't think they will have much impact on fish stocks, as you say pair trawling and general trawler bycatch is by far the biggest problem here, here's a link to what's happening here regarding the MCZ's http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwor ... fault.aspx


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