Fisherman's dead bass video sparks hot debate

HUGE HAUL OF DEAD AND DYING FISH HAD TO BE DISCARDED

CARL EVE

A FISHERMAN’s tweet over a large haul of bass off the Plymouth coast has sparked debate over the current rules on fishing.

Andrew Giles posted a shocking video which displayed a large haul of fish caught by accident by a trawler – all of which had to be thrown away again.

Andrew, who owns the trawler, MFV Guiding Light, wrote: “Just crazy. This could [have] given the boys a much needed lift after a very hard winter.” He later added further details stating: “They are legally allowed to keep five per cent of the bass of weight of all the other fish on board. So if they have 200kg of fish on board they can keep 10kg (about 5 fish)”

Many replies to his posts were ones of incredulity and rage. One retired hospital biomedical scientist with “interests” which included “bass fishing and marine biology” wrote: “Such a tragic waste. Some of these fish look ready to spawn. Hopefully the trawler will avoid the same area for a while?”

Andrew replied: “Yes they will avoid it like the plague as they don’t want to be in this situation again. But the fish are that abundant in the whole area that they could move 12 miles away and catch them again. This is why we think the science is wrong.”