Here is a fine example of an infographic from the Discovery Channel.
Note :: It is quite a large image so may take a while to download.
 

Any idea what caused the wound in the following photo ?

No !
Well, skate and rays are common bycatch in many trawled fisheries; to return the fish to the water some commercial fisherman cut a ‘handhold’ in the fish to make them easy to handle; with larger fish they will cut a slit in both wings and thread a rope through the cuts in order to lift the skate out and overboard.
Although the end result is not very pretty, as you can see the wounds can heal well; in fact earlier …

Tonight’s (8/12/11) AGM has been cancelled because of the storm force winds that are due for the region today and the to the long distances many members need to travel. The police and met office are advising there will be trees down and local flooding.
We will publish an alternative date once we have determined one.

Looking ahead to 2012 ?
Want to enjoy some good company and fishing ?
Want to make a real difference ?
Support the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme
Help save Scotland’s sharks.
Three Events which throughout the year.
 
Download a copy of the poster and share it around.
Tagging is the only non-destructive assessment of sharks available which will help provide data such as :

Species migrations
Growth rates
Population and stock make-up
Stock fluctuations dynamics

The data will be used to input into the Scottish Government shark management plans.
Reports on each event highlighting socio-economic benefit to the area …

The Scottish Government published a consultation paper Scottish Marine Regions – Defining their Boundaries on 23rd November 2010 and written responses were invited until 18th February 2011.
There were eleven main questions and 81 written submissions were received by the deadline. There were also twelve public meetings in coastal communities around Scotland and one video-conference meeting.
The 81 written submissions in response to the consultation paper came from individual members of the public (nineteen) and a range of sectors and interest groups – local authority representatives (seventeen); fisheries and aquaculture (nine); …

The AGM this year will be held on the 8th December at the Royal Marine Reserve HQ, 37 – 51 Birkmyre Road, Govan, Glasgow, G51 3JH – it will start at 7.30pm and all Members are welcome to attend.
As the HQ is a gated compound, please respond to this email address / write directly to The Secretary if you intend to attend in order your name can be given to Security.
If any Member would like to propose a Resolution, please ensure it is received by our Secretary on or before the …

Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT) is a Scottish charity founded in 2011
SIFT believe that despite the importance of inshore waters, their management has been neglected. Over-fishing and the use of fishing gears which damage habitats have not only been permitted but promoted. As a consequence the inshore ecosystem has been degraded and the valuable fin-fish stocks have collapsed to the point that coastal communities no longer enjoy a mixed and vibrant economy.
SIFT promotes fisheries policies which conserve and restore the diversity of the marine ecosystem. In particular SIFT promotes …

The Scottish government is holding a consultation regarding proposed management plans for the Luce Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC); it is based on various recommendations put forward by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The consultation closes Thursday 15 September 2011.
The intention of the Plan is to manage commercial fishing in a way which ensures the protection of the features for which the site has been designated, while at the same time exploring whether there is a need to restrict Scallop Dredging and other mobile gear from certain areas of …

For this edition we have a new Editor – Julie Hope – who joined us just recently as our new SSTP Project Coordinator – download it here.
This last quarter has seen a major change in the political position regarding sharks with Fisheries Minister Lochhead recognising that protecting vulnerable marine species is crucially important and that some shark, skate and ray populations are critically endangered; something anglers have been trying to tell politicians and fisheries managers for years – but perhaps better late than never !
As usual, Sharkatag proved to be …

Now here’s a great use of the length/weight charts available from the SSTP Events page as a pdf download.
It comes from an email from the Loch Ryan SAC and refers to a competition they were running :
‘the heaviest fish went to Graham Richardson with a special catch, this was a starry smooth hound and due to the protected status this fish was photographed measured and returned. The weight calculation charts provided by the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP) and the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN) were used to calculate …