Electric fishing

[mm5aho]

Sitting Gott By, Tiree watching some unusual fishing activity. Something to do with trailing wires from a generator in the sea. NOt sure what fish they get that way.
What might that be?

[NorthUp2]

If there is a diver there, probably after razorfish. Its illegal AFAIK.

[Old Troll]

Yes. Gott Bay, nice sandy bottom in shallow water and the tides being among the lowest of the year with the big springs would indeed suggest razor fish. The sorry thing to say is that these people have fished out the razor fish beds inshore indeed have exterminated the creatures in more sheltered waters and are now having to carry out there illegal activities in more offshore and perhaps remoter places. Report them! Nothing can be said in their favour.

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Yes it is illegal.
A fishing boat skipper was fined recently for electric fishing in the Clyde after the FP divers went down and recovered the elec gear which they observed him dumping over board in order to avoid detection.
C_W

Anyone got a scanned copy of the Dover tide times that you let me have.
Cant get any at chandlers.

[mm5aho]

Today I got a closer look at one of the four boats doing this type of fishing.
This one was off loading at the Tiree pier, enough boxes oif razor clams to stack a pallet high enough to need a forklift.
The boat had a generator on the stern, leads to a plastic spreader boom trailing four cables. Presumably this boom trailed along the bottom? which in turn trails the cables. Seems that this mollusc rises rapidly when voltage applied, allowing the divers to harvest them easily. There was also a compressor filling dive bottles.
Must be quite an organised affair.
Wonder why its illegal? Can this type of shellfish be taken any other way?

[claymore]

Yes it is illegal.
A fishing boat skipper was fined recently for electric fishing in the Clyde after the FP divers went down and recovered the elec gear which they observed him dumping over board in order to avoid detection.
C_W

Anyone got a scanned copy of the Dover tide times that you let me have.
Cant get any at chandlers.

Go to www.agurney.com
look up the oban tides for 2013. Dover HW and LW are there for each day
Hope that helps

[sahona]

Eamonn, you can download tidal prediction programs from BM which allow you to choose a location then print as many months as you wish. I use WXtide32 in conjunction with my tidal atlas and am a happy bunny -as you know!

[Clyde_Wanderer]

A belated Thanks to all who adviced me on getting Dover tide tables.Thanks.
We have also doubled checked they match up with EasyTide predictions so we can get the latter ( using our phones) for our different locations while on the move.
Next fri (9th) we (Besula, Magua, Emma and Hummingbird) gather at the Cumbrae centre for last minute co-cordinations.
Sat morn we intend departing on a passage to Glenarm, hopefully in a single leg weather gods permitting, but keeping Sanda in mind as a bolthole.
We plan on Glenarm to Ballycastle for a night and then Rathlin for a night or two.
Again depending on the weather we will either head for loch Foyle/Derry or Islay.
If the latter, it could then be gigha or Jura before returning around the MoK and hame.
If the weather is total pants then we will probably just zig zag up and down loch Fyne and spend more time drinking beer.
= or =
C_W

[Mavanier]

Might be helpful to phone Oban fisheries office (0300 244 9400) with the name of the vessel and what you saw.

[ash]

We took the easy option last night. Fast Cat out of Troon. 30 knots at 220 T had Ailsa Craig abeam in less than an hour.

We're staying near the east coast of Loch Swilly.

Ash