.
I was prompted by Canu's reply to bareface on the 'Wanted' forum to have a look at http://www.westcoastjobs.co.uk/ , a site whose proud boast is
West Coast Jobs the number 1 site for recruitment opportunities on the West Coast of Scotland.
There are 5 jobs advertised in total. The site is run by the Oban Times, and there are more jobs than that on this week's jobs page, so what exactly are they hoping to achieve?
At least with a weak POUND against the Dollar and the Euro we can look forward to an influx of tourists (who seem to have come to terms with terrorism and mad cow disease) and we can look forward to more exports helped along with lower fuel costs. Whilst the current problems are awful at least it it offers some optimism.
How will the West Coast white fish ban affect our local prawn fisheries? I read that up to 300 prawn boats along the coast will have to stop. If it affects our little fleet it will be devastating as I reckon the prawn industry is Seil's third largest employer after the Local Authority and tourism.
Any answers Eric or Donnie?
Long trawl (afficionado of prawn movies by choice)
If it does affect the island it will be indirect, ie prawn trawlers converting to creeling and causing problems for local boats.......the only thing this particular piece of legislation will do is put pressure on other fish stocks......
If you look carefully at the legislation you'll find that traditional prawn trawlers would not need to go to the expense of converting to creeling.
The inclusion of whitefish escape panels in traditional bottom towed gear would be permissable and as whitefish are a by catch of the industry rather than the mainstay it shouldn't have that much effect on landings.
It's a new approach rather than discarding dead fish at sea which makes no sense ..and is the sensible option given the precarious position of West Coast whitefish stocks.
I think given time this might pay dividends.
Obviously there would be a cost to new or adapted gear but I'm sure it's not that much as the net panel idea is hardly rocket science.
Om jeg hamrer eller hamres,
ligefuldt så skal der jamres!
Maybe a few prawn escape panels would be a good idea too, just to make sure the prawn fisheries don't go the same route to near-extinction as the whitefish fisheries. Greed is very blinding!
Longshanks, Shellfish and Sh#t are my fortes I'm no expert in trawling techniques and am not au fait with the new regulations but may I ask is it not the case that the marority of boats around here are creel boats and will not be affected?
There are members of this form who will know much more than I do and I know of one who should be swatting furiously as we speak
