Sea fishing - any advice?

[Devonian]

I do think if it was a SHTF situation, you would be quite happy with beach combing, and rock pooling...

You can get tonnes of shrimp, winkles, small crabs that is where we are very lucky in the UK.

Proper line fishing would be a luxury in that situation.

I think there will still be a place for rods and lines, but you are right in that collecting shell fish and sea weed will provide a readily available source of nutrition.

But in a survival situation, I would look to adopt other "currently" illegal means of fishing.

[munchh]

Are there illegal ways to sea fish? (just for discussion purposes obviously)

[Devonian]

Are there illegal ways to sea fish? (just for discussion purposes obviously)

Gill nets.......

[farnet]

Lol, I thought you meant dynamiting... Having an HE licence would be mighty impressive (and scary)

[Devonian]

Lol, I thought you meant dynamiting... Having an HE licence would be mighty impressive (and scary)

LOL, fishing redneck style, but I like that

[farnet]

Devonian,

I never realised to complexities to Gill Net fishing, so I have just had a look at the legal restrictions for such fishing in the UK and found the following.

There is a common law right for anyone to take fish from the sea, whether that be by using a rod and line or a net.

It’s only if fish are taken with the intention of selling them, and a powered boat is used, that the boat must be licensed. And many regulations, especially EU regulations, only apply to licensed fishing vessels.

I've looked in a couple of places and it seems the same, obviously such thing like pingers etc to prevent dolphin entanglement, but in a realistic view, if a gill net was being run from a row boat (for example), it wouldn't be of a size that'd catch a marine mammal.... that'd be one hell of a rowing boat.

does that look right.... as I said, I was unaware of the legal restrictions until I Wiki'ed it..

[farnet]

just found this as well...

If the fish caught are for personal consumption, then unlicensed nets may be perfectly legal. However if the catch is sold and a powered vessel was used to set the nets, then the sale of fish caught from an unlicensed vessel is illegal. (Note, seine netting from a beach, often for mullet and bass where the net is ‘walked out’ and the catch is sold is perfectly legal, even though no licensed vessel is involved).

[farnet]

ahhh this is more like it....

What constitutes ‘Illegal Netting’

Well, a whole list of things including:

- Netting with the intention of selling the catch from an unlicensed powered vessel.

- Using mesh sizes less than byelaws allow

- Taking undersized fish

- Taking fish in excess of bycatch allowance for which quota is not held

- Taking migratory fish such as salmon and trout (and eels) without a special licence

- Netting where fishing is restricted, maybe at certain times of the year

- Using a fixed net when and where no enabling byelaw exists

- Not having properly marked nets, fishing nets unattended, not having the correct depth of water above the headline at all states of the tide, all according to local byelaws.

- Not having pingers attached to prevent cetacean entanglement where this is a requirement

[Devonian]

As you say, its a complex area, here are the statutory instruments applicable to fishing:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/title/fishing?page=1

But bear in mind that additional local byelaws are also often used in many areas, and I'm no expert on fishing law....

Also bear in mind that not all nets are gill nets.

[farnet]

that is where I get confused by the definition of a gill net, it sounds too similar to everything else.