Difficult to monitor ‘catch and release’ on boats

I WOULD like to respond to some of the statements made in the article, “New angling contest raises species fears” (August 28).

We cannot compare catch and release methods between deep sea angling, and river, rock and surf angling as the number of species caught in deep sea fishing far outstrips that of other formats. Therefore, this makes the control of measure and release, and administrative capturing of data virtually impossible, given the timeframes of the tournament.

The PE Deep Sea Angling Club is fully aware of the pressure some of these bottom-dwelling species are facing.

We have launched many initiatives over the last few years in the form of conveying conservation news on these species in our various newsletters.

Our club has an active junior development programme placing the emphasis on catch and release, thereby conditioning the mindset of our young anglers to deviate away from the traditional catch and kill philosophy many older anglers grew up with.

Premier fishing tournaments are an annual affair and weather dependent.

It is not an ongoing situation, as is the case with commercial fishing operations, which are the real problem when it comes to our bottom fish species.

Organised fishing competitions such as the Bottom Fish Species Challenge actually do more good than harm, as the minimum weight limit for the various species is always increased far above that of the legislated limit to help protect these animals.

This is instead of the same boats fishing recreationally on a normal weekend taking out more smaller fish without the control of a sanctioned tournament.

On top of this, very strict bag limits apply with some of these endangered species being limited to only one fish per person per day.

Black musselcracker, in particular, is extremely vulnerable, and we will allow measure and release for this species as it is manageable to control a limited amount of species for measure and release.

Catch and release over a multitude of species is extremely difficult to introduce and control in a deep sea environment where big prizes are up for grabs.

Monitors or referees cannot be provided for each participating boat and this opens the door for dishonesty to creep in even when other measures are in place for actual truthful verification of catches.

The positive spin-off from these premier events is enormous as it pumps quite a lot of money into fuel, tackle and bait sales, as well as the usual refreshments, food and other commodities that go hand in hand with recreational fishing.

We have launched a charitable initiative along with this tournament in support of the Aurora Special Care Centre where approximately 120 kids born with Down syndrome will benefit.

We encourage anglers not to keep smaller non-qualifying fish even though they are of legal limit, and place a lot of emphasis on environmental protection and angler education.

We are always open to ideas on how to improve on these matters.

It is our goal to find a solution for our facet of angling whereby we can apply a 100% measure and release rule while ensuring overall honesty and administrative ease to capture these results for final scoring.

Premier competitions are vital for the financial survival of our clubs, which is pivotal in providing a platform for our anglers to fish competitively and recreationally while offering them the information and continuous education on sustainable fishing habits.

Richard Donaldson, chairman, PE Deep Sea Angling Club