Scottish livebait ban latest

Pike anglers are passionate about retaining livebating, but the majority of fishing groups want it banned, Scottish MPs were told during the latest debate on the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill.

Conservatives and Scottish National Party members tried to introduce ammendments which would have allowed livebaits caught on the day, on the same water to be used.

But Scotland's deputy environment minister Sarah Boyack said: "After many stakeholders voiced concern about the risk of adverse effects on biodiversity in our inland waters as a result of unused live bait, we decided to include the provision in the bill, to make the policy clear.

"I acknowledge that pike anglers in particular, who represent a minority of anglers, have passionately expressed the view that the use of live vertebrates as bait should continue."

The Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, the Pike Anglers Alliance and the Pike Anglers Club had all defended the method.

But Ms Boyack went on: ""I want to scotch a few myths that have arisen. The first is that this is a late Executive amendment, which we are trying to sneak through. It is not. The genesis of the proposal that is contained in the amendment was in the Executive's green paper,

"The second myth is that the ban is a welfare issue and that perhaps the next step would be to ban maggots or worms, if not fishing itself.

"I want to make our position clear and put it on the record. The Executive has been consistent on the issue from day one. The issue here is one of biodiversity. Introduced fish can compete with, predate on, give parasites to and spread disease among native fish. The Executive is totally supportive of angling as a sport and a recreation. That needs to be said, given some of the rumours that have been flying around.

"The third myth is that using live vertebrates as bait is not a problem. We do not agree with that view. The use of live vertebrates as bait has resulted in the translocation of live fish. That can happen when live fish used as bait are brought in from other sources and at the end of the day are discarded into the water being fished if they are not used."

Ms Boyack said the presence of Ruffe in Loch Lomond was proof that anglers translocating livebaits had caused alien species to be introduced to waters.

"Loch Lomond now supports a number of fish species that are new to the loch," she said. "One of those species, the ruff, is now the most common in the loch and is thought to pose a major threat to the loch's indigenous powan, which is an internationally renowned species of freshwater fish found in Loch Lomond and Loch Eck. The powan is listed in annex V of the habitats directive, so it is a fish that we want to protect.

It is the Executive's strong view that the use of lures and dead fish, often marine species such as sprat or mackerel, gives anglers a range of different methods that provide a perfectly acceptable alternative to the use of live fish.

"There is no need to put biodiversity at risk. I remind the committee that support for the use of live vertebrates is a minority view. It is a powerful view and it is held with passion, but support for a ban was and continues to be widespread.

"I believe that the case for prohibition is compelling. Support for prohibition is clearly the view of the substantial majority of anglers."

The bill will now go to a final reading, at a date to be fixed. Pike anglers on both sides of the border are lobbying for the amendments to be reinstated when it does.

For the debate in full click here.

Scottish bait ban is "ruffe justice"

Ministers want to ban livebaiting in Scotland to stem the spread of alien species - especially the ruffe which have allegedly been released into Loch Lomond, The Scotsman reports today.

Click here for full report.

Livebaiting latest: 'We'll listen,' says MSP

Pike anglers have been e-mailing Scottish MPs, asking them to think again over the livebaiting ban which was added at the eleventh hour to new Scottish fisheries legislation.

One has received the following reply from one MSP, who promises they'll take all views into account.

"Thank you for your e-mail.

"A number of people with an interest in this issue have written to me in similar terms, and as a member of the Committee doing the detailed work on the Bill, I will take these views into account when we consider amendments to the proposed legislation.

"I hope that by working with all the various interest groups and listening to those people with practical experience and most directly affected we will end up with a sensible and effective piece of legislation.

"I appreciate your taking the time and trouble to make your views known.

Yours sincerely

Nora Radcliffe"

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Submissions from the Pike Anglers Club, Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland and Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling on the livebaiting issues were ignored.

For more on the ongoing campaign in Scotland and a list of addresses you can e-mail, click here.

Don't miss Scotty D in Lanarks in Feb

North Lanarkshire region are hosting Scott Davidson for a talk/slide show on Tuesday, February 6.

Loch Awe, Menteith, trolling and one or two other matters will be covered in an evening not to be missed.

The venue is the Joker Bar, in Calder Road, Mossend - just off the A775 near Motherwell.

Admission is £2 for RA93 members, £5 non-members. There'll be a light buffet and raffle with a Prologic bivvy as top prize.

Scottish pike fishing in crisis

Pike fishing in Scotland is in crisis this weekend, with a blanket ban on livebaiting now looking certain and the management of a potential record-breaking water threatening a pike cull to deter poachers.

An eleventh-hour amendment to the Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill, soon to be debated by MPs, prohibits the use of all live vertebrates.

Throughout its consultation stage, the bill proposed the less extreme measure of creating the power to ban livebaiting in areas where translocation could be argued to pose a risk to rare species or sensitive ecosystems.

But the tougher power has been strongly endorsed by Scotland's deputy environment minister Rhona Brankin.

Responding to the latest draft of the bill on behalf of the ruling Scottish Executive, she said: "I thank the Committee for their recommendation that the Executive brings forward an amendment at Stage 2 to prohibit the use of live vertebrates as bait. I can confirm that we shall do so."

How realistic - or for that matter enforceable - such a ban might be will remain to be seen in a country where many of the waters pike anglers fish are vast and remote.

During the consultation period before the wording of the bill was changed, the Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland, Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling and Pike Anglers Club for Great Britain all argued that a similar approach to that currently in force in England would suffice.

In its submission, the PAAS said: "We totally oppose such a ban. It would be both superfluous and disproportionate to the risks it purports to address.

"It is claimed by some that discarded or escaped live baits have been responsible for the introduction of certain species to a number of waters in Scotland.

"There is no hard evidence for this, but even if it is true it could only account for a tiny fraction of the spread of locally non-native species and the dilution of genetic identity among established species in Scotland."

The Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling said: "There is no necessary connection or causal link between the use of live fish as bait and the movement of fish between waters. These are two entirely separate issues.

"The appropriate way to prevent inappropriate introductions and transfers is by legislation directly regulating fish movements.

"No additional Regulation is required. If the Executive believes it is essential to strengthen this by regulating the use of live fish as bait, the appropriate step would be to bring in provisions analogous to those in Denmark which directly restrict the use of livebaits to fish caught on the same day from the same water where they are being used.

"Whilst probably still superfluous, this is workable and would reinforce the message the Executive seeks to convey without alienating the angling community it aims to regulate."

The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain came out strongly in support of the PAAS and SFCA.

In it's submission, the PAC said: "We believe any bans should be the province of individual fishery owners and controlling clubs, in consultation with interested and informed bodies such as the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, the Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland and ourselves."

Addressing the wider livebaiting issue, it added: "We reject the claim that anglers translocating livebaits have been responsible for the wholesale introduction of species such as roach to waters where they were not previously indiginous.

"We believe that the appropriate way to prevent inappropriate introductions and transfers is by legislation directly regulating fish movements, such as exists in England under Section 30 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act."

As the PAC and PAAS decide whether it is worth mounting some kind of last ditch lobbying effort, it emerged that the management at Gartmorn Dam are considering culling their potentially record-breaking stock of pike.

Broadcaster Keith Arthur broke the story on his show on Talksport this morning.

It is understood management at the 168-acre Clackmannanshire trout water have told Angling Times they will bring out the gill nets if pike anglers don't stop poaching the water, which is closed to all anglers between October and March 31.

The lake has produced fish to over 40lbs in recent seasons, and a string of 30lbs-plus specimens.

Ironically, pike anglers are allowed to fish the water via privileged access days organised by the Pike Anglers Alliance for Scotland.

But there have been confrontations on the banks in recent months involving pike anglers poaching the water and officials claim fences have been damaged and ropes set out in the water to prevent trout being stolen have been cut.