Isles of Scilly Fish and Fisheries - Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Table 1. Records of “good” fish taken by anglers in 1885 and 2008
Year 1885 2008
Source Smart, 1886 Townend, 2008
(tide tables)
Ling 27 lb 13½ lb
Cod Average – 20 lb 8 lb
Pollack
7 lb
These show a decline of 50% or more in the weight of “good” fish over the last 120
years.
There could be number of explanations including food supply, predation or climate
change, but overfishing seems the most likely.
This is “Growth overfishing” where the fish are harvested a size smaller than that
which would produce the best yield. There could also be “Recruitment overfishing”
where the mature adult population – the spawning biomass – is reduced to a size
where it can no longer maintain the optimum stock level. This was described by Jones
et al. (2004) who found that the spawning biomass of mackerel in the south west had
fallen since the mid 1980s.
The management of the fisheries at present consists of limitations on the vessels and
their sizes that can fish within 6 miles of the islands, MLSs and the minimum mesh
size (currently 80 mm). Outside of 6 miles most management comes under the
Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union. The exposed nature of the area
means that there is effectively a closed season for the relatively small inshore vessels
that fish here from November to March due to bad weather.
Measures to aid the recovery of local stocks could include increases in mesh size, the
introduction of square mesh panels into trawl nets and the establishment of Marine
Protected Areas. The incoming IFCA will have responsibility to manage any Marine
Conservation Zones, but it is not yet known what management the MMO will decide on
for these. It would appear highly desirable, that some areas at least, should be
designated highly-protected MPAs; effectively “No-Take-Zones” where towed gears
(trawls and dredges), fixed engines (traps, pots and set nets), collection by divers and
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