As per the infographic below, great news from the EU today on the banning of fishing for bass by pelagic trawlers in northern seas including the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Channel Islands and the North Sea during the bass spawning season. A small number of pelagic trawlers have been responsible for 25% of the annual bass catch. Not only is it unsustainable to fish for bass when they shoal up for spawning but it’s unfair than one small group of fishermen takes so much of the stock.

More great news is that the EU and the governments of the UK, Holland and Belgium all backed the ban and have taken on board that recreational angling for bass is already significantly more important to the coastal economies of Belgium, England, Holland, France, Ireland and Wales than commercial bass fishing. If bass stocks are allowed to recover then the size of recreational bass fishing will grow massively.

The 900,000 bass anglers from France, UK and the Netherlands supported 10,400 full-time equivalent jobs in the tackle trade, charter boats, hotel, etc. which brings massive benefits to struggling seaside towns. If bass stocks collapse then these jobs will be lost.