Caught out by EU laws, angler’s ‘record’ fish
Man lands monster ‘22lb’ bass – but can’t keep it to put on scales
WHEN Oban Jones reeled in a monster sea bass, he was certain he had landed a record breaker.
But EU rules meant he was unable to claim it because he had to throw his catch back.
Mr Jones, 19, estimated the 3ft 6in fish weighed at least 22lb, putting it above the 19lb 9oz record that has stood for 32 years.
However, EU regulations ban anglers from keeping even a single specimen caught between November 1 and December 31, when the over-fished species is breeding.
Mr Jones had been fishing for whiting for his supper when he hooked the bass off Plymouth, Devon. ‘It fought for about 20 minutes before I got it to the surface and my brother had the landing net ready,’ he said.
‘It was easily the biggest bass I had ever seen. Catching it was a dream come true.’
Mr Jones, a marine science technician at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, added: ‘I had no way of measuring it but I go to the gym a lot and I know what it is like to lift 10kg (22lb) of weight and this fish was definitely heavier than that. But the current rules say that from November 1 you have to return all sea bass, so I had to conform to them.’
He pointed out that super-trawlers snare large numbers of bass as a bycatch when they cast their huge nets for mackerel and pollock in the English Channel.
‘It is quite shocking that these super-trawlers are allowed,’ said Mr Jones. ‘The rule seems unfair because trawlers discard the dead fish they catch in their nets, far more than any one angler like myself will catch in a lifetime.’
Bob Summerhayes, of the Weymouth and Portland Fishermen’s Association, said: ‘It seems impossible to believe these super-trawlers are not catching a substantial quantity of sea bass.
‘It does seem disproportionate [Mr Jones having to let his catch go]. The English Channel is not the place for super-trawlers.’
The Angling Trust has long been lobbying the EU to relax the ban on anglers catching sea bass.
The trust’s David Mitchell said: ‘The Common Fisheries Policy is dominated by the fishing industry and recreational fishing is considered to be a nuisance activity.
‘It seems like complete madness to the average person and it is very difficult to argue against that.’