Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 29th March, 1982

This is the report from the Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 29th March, 1982. It includes information on the Cumbrian Coastal Waters Net Limitation order, and the report by the area fisheries officer on fisheries activites from September 1981 to January 1982. The report covers information on river conditions and fishing, migratory fish movement, an update on the work at Holmwrangle Hatchery, fish disease, management and survey work and monthly salmon and sea trout catches for rod, line, nets and fixed engines for the 1981 season. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 31st March, 1982

This is the report from the Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 31st March, 1982. It includes information on the River Leven smolt rearing scheme, the annual report on match fishing at Skerton and Mitton fisheries, and the report by the area fisheries officer on fisheries activites from September 1981 to January 1982. The report covers information on river conditions and fishing, migratory fish movements, an update on the work at Middleton hatchery, Salmon cages on the Leven and Langcliffe hatchery. It also includes information on fish disease, fish mortalities, management work and monthly salmon and sea trout catches for rod, line, nets and fixed engines for the 1981 season. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 7th April, 1982

This is the report from the Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 7th April, 1982. It includes information on the report by the area fisheries officer on fisheries activites from September 1981 to January 1982. The report covers information on river conditions and fishing, and an update on the work at Hollingworth and the Pilot hatchery. It also includes stocking numbers of fish and fish ova by the Angling Associations, fish disease, fish mortalities and management work. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 11th October, 1982

This is the report from the Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 11th October, 1982. The report contains sections on Rod and Line Fishing Licences Format, Mink in North Cumbria, Fishing offences and prosecution, West Cumbria Water Resources, and Fisheries Activities. The section on fisheries activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, migratory fish movement, Holmwrangle hatchery, and Fish mortalities/Pollutions. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 13th October, 1982

This is the report from the Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 13th October, 1982. The report contains sections on Rod and Line Fishing Licences Format, Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 for River Lune, a proposed Pike Ranching Scheme on Esthwaite Water and Fisheries Activities. The section on fisheries activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, migratory movement, hatcheries, (Middleton, Dalton in Furness, Langcliffe), stocking, poaching and management works. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 20th October, 1982

This is the report from the Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 20th October, 1982. The report contains sections on Rod and Line Fishing Licences Format, Fishing offences and prosecution, and Report of Fisheries Activities. The section on fisheries activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, migratory movement, hatcheries, (Hollingworth, Pilot Hatchery), stocking by the Authority, fish disease, management works and prosecutions. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 28th March, 1983

This is the report from the Northern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 28th March, 1983. The report contains sections on rules for fishing at Haweswater and Thirlmere, Fyke nets and otters, Whirling disease, and Fisheries Activities. The section on Fyke nets looks at the loss of at least 23 otters in fyke nets over eighteen months. The section on Fisheries Activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, migratory fish movement, Holmwrangle hatchery, stocking by Angling Associations, fish mortalities and pollution. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 30th March, 1983

This is the report from the Central Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 30th March, 1983. The report contains sections on Fyke nets and otters, Whirling disease, the decline of Salmon and Sea Trout Catches in Furness and South Cumbria Fisheries Association, spawning tributaries, Langcliffe hatchery, and fisheries activities. The section on Fisheries Activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, migratory fish movement, Hatcheries (Middleton hatchery, salmon cages in Dalton and Furness, salmon and sea trout), stocking, fish disease, poaching, management work and prosecutions. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee 6th April, 1983

This is the report from the Southern Area Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, which was held on the 6th April, 1983. The report contains sections on Fyke nets and otters, Whirling disease, Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, and fisheries activities. The section on fisheries activities is reported by the area fisheries officer and includes river conditions and fishing, hatcheries (Hollingworth, pilot hatchery), migratory fish movement, stocking by the Authority, fish mortalities/disease, pollution, and prosecutions. The Fisheries Advisory Committee was part of the Regional Water Authorities, in this case the North West Water Authority. This preceded the Environment Agency which came into existence in 1996.

The effect of intensive line fishing on the virgin biomass of a tropical deepwater snapper, the crimson jobfish (Pristipomoides filamentosus)

An intensive commercial hook-and-line fishing operation targeted the demersal fisheries resources at Saya de Malha Bank in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Fishing was conducted with 12 dories that were equipped with echo sounders and electric fishing reels and supported by a refrigerated mothership. Over a 13-day period in the 55–130 m depth range, a total of 74.3 metric tons (t) of fish were caught, of which the crimson jobfish (Pristipomoides filamentosus) represented 80%. Catch rates decreased with time and could not be attributed to changes in location, climatic conditions, fishing depth, fishing method, or bait type. The initial virgin biomass of P. filamentosus available to a line fishery at the North Western promontory of Saya de Malha Bank was estimated at 72.6 t through application of the Leslie model to daily catch and effort data. Biomass densities of 2364 kg/km2 and 1206 kg/km were obtained by applying the initial biomass estimates to the surface area and to the length of the dropoff that was fished. The potential sustainable yield prior to exploitation was estimated at 567 kg/km2 per year. The quantity of P. filamentosus caught by the mother-ship-dory fishing operation represented 82% of the initial biomass available to a hook-and-line fishery, equivalent to more that three times the estimated maximum sustainable yield. The results of the study are important to fisheries managers because they demonstrate that intensive line fishing operations have the potential to rapidly deplete demersal fisheries resources.

A case study of the disappearance of Arius tenuispinis (marine catfish) in the vicinity of Visakhapatnam due to mechanised fishing

Visakhapatnam is on the eastern sea board of India (17 degree 40' N and 83 degree 15' E) having a continental shelf of 45 km width which is provided with a polychaete rich, silty clay sea floor to a distance of 15 km and beyond, from the shore. Repeated trawling by a large number of trawlers over an area of 900 sq.km (30 x 30) resulted in the hardening of the substratum to the extent of making it uninhabitable to the polychaetes and polychaete feeding fish. The shoaling and strictly demersal marine catfish, Arius tenuispinis, which is a prolific polychaete feeder on the fishing grounds off Visakhapatnam, has been on the decline since 1979. The catch rate of fish dropped from 9.7 kg/boat per day in 1979 to 2.6 kg by 1985-86. In the bottomset gillnets, the catch per net dwindled from 4.4 kg in 1973 to 0.04 kg by 1985-86. The species has virtually disappeared from the fishing grounds off Visakhapatnam and further north, as a results of the cumulative effect of overfishing with trawlnets and bottomset gillnets. It is further aggravated by the hardening of the sea floor on these grounds due to repeated trawling over a narrow zone.

Prawn fishing by M.F.V. Jheenga in Bombay waters

The design and construction of the motor fishing vessel Jheenga of the Deep Sea Fishing Station of the Government of India, Bombay, the areas covered and the gear used by her in 1959-63 are described. The prawn catches in relation to the total catches, and their catch rates in different months in area 18-72 in Bombay region which was fished continuously during the five years period have been studied with a view to ascertaining their seasonal abundance. The results indicate the availability of the prawns in the region for the major part of the year from March to October-November. High catches with high catch rates forming high percentage of their abundance in total catches are obtained in July to October.

On the results of preliminary fishing trials with shark long lines in Veraval waters

Experimental fishing operations with shark long lines were conducted in the sea off Veraval with a view to studying their efficiency and gathering information on the available resources of sharks to be used for planning the future gear investigations. The trials were undertaken in 1967, employing departmental fishing vessel "Fishtech No. IV" (10.9 m O.L. and 48 H.P. engine). A total of 5525 hooks were employed and 242 sharks weighing 8629 kg were landed. Data on composition of catch, weight of fishes landed, effectiveness of various baits in capture of different species of sharks and effectiveness of gear including its catch efficiency in this area were compiled. Bait preference was also observed in certain species of sharks caught. Chirocentrus dorab proved to be the cheapest and most effective bait in capture of all the three varieties of sharks landed.

An analysis of records of gillnet fishing in Pilkington Bay, Lake Victoria

Among the commercially valuable species occurring in Lake Victoria the two endemic species of Tilapia, T. esculenta (Graham) and T. variabilis (Boulenger) still provide the basis for the fishery in many areas, though in some places the non-cichlid species are more important, for example in the Kagera river area where large numbers of Labeo victorianus and Schilbe mystus migrate seasonally into the river. Although certain species show these habitat preferences. Most of the coastline of Lake Victoria supports a wide variety of species, all of which contribute to the commercial fishery. Over the past ten years the East African Fisheries Research Organisation has fished experimentally a number of stations within a radius of fifty miles from Jinja. These stations have been selected so as to cover a variety of habitats which range from sheltered bays to exposed coastlines. The records discussed in this paper are the result of fishing operations carried out in Pilkington Bay over the period December 1954 to November 1956. This series of fishing operations was carried out in an attempt to assess the composition of the fish populations contained in this area. To this end a variety of nets of differing mesh sizes were used. Pilkington Bay is about ten square miles in extent and is an irregular and deep indentation on the north coast of Buvuma Island. It lies within the sleeping siclmess area where fishing by Africans is prohibited. When selecting an experimental fishing ground, it is important to have some idea of the amount of commercial fishing being carried out in the area. Throughout the period of this experiment a few African fishermen were seen operating illegally in the area, but it is unlikely that their efforts greatly affected the results obtained. Pilkington Bay was fished by E.A.F.R.O. in 1949 and 1950 (Lowe McConnell 1956) but since then till the present experiment, fishing in the area has been infrequent.

The fishing centres of Lake Niassa (Mozambique): results of a frame survey made in June 1983

Results of the first frame survey of the fishing centres on the Mozambican coast of Lake Niassa, held in June 1983, are presented. A total of 41 fishing centres were detected in the area and visited. Through direct enquiries in each centre, an estimated number of 3,380 fishermen and 1,230 fishing boats (of which 25 motorized) was established. The results also provided information on the types and quantities of fishing gear used. A first estimation of the approximate total annual catch in the area gave a figure in the order of 9,100 tons., of which approximately equals 90% is landed during the rainy season. The survey is a part of a research programme on the fishing resources of Lake Niassa and of a project for the collection and organization of fisheries statistics from the artisanal fisheries of the Mozambican side of Lake Niassa.