As my wife says: "Everybody's got to eat"
The Isle of Man’s Fisheries The Isle of
Man and its Territorial Sea area are situated in the middle of the Irish Sea
and for centuries the fishing industry has been a pillar of the Manx economy,
intimately bound up with traditional ways of Manx life. Today, kippers continue
to be smoked in the traditional way for worldwide export; however
the large herring fleets of the past departed Manx waters over 30 years ago.
Herring spawning grounds are found in
coastal waters to the west, north and east of the Isle of Man and on the Irish
Coast at around 54oN on gravel (ICES, 1994; Dickey-Collas et
al., 2001). Herring spawning takes place from September to November in both
areas, occurring slightly later on average on the Irish Coast than off the Isle
of Man. The fish lay demersal eggs which later hatch and disperse northwards
into shoals before they return around July, though not in densities that a
mid-water trawl would target. Currently, two boats fish commercially for
herring in Manx waters under licence (non Manx vessels).
Catches usually start north-west of Peel,
then move south and east. The fishery runs from August to September whist fat
content is rising and the fish start to aggregate prior to spawning. The Isle
of Man does have an annual area closure (21 September to 15 November) for
herring (the herring box), to the east of the island, aimed at protecting
vulnerable stages of the life cycle.
Herring
Block Since the collapse of the Irish Sea herring stocks in the 1980s, the
fishery in the Irish Sea has included closures of both spawning and nursery
grounds. A closed area exists to the east of the Isle of Man to protect the
spawning aggregations e.g. off Douglas Bank. A gillnet fishery has a derogation
to fish within the Irish closed box. Boats from the Republic of Ireland are not
permitted to fish east of the Isle of Man. The herring box is protected under
the Sea-Fisheries (Technical Measures) Bye-laws 2000, Part III Special
Provisions Relating to Fishing for Certain Sea-Fish and is closed to herring
fishing from 21 September to 15 November every year, covering a substantial
area of the Manx Territorial Sea. See Figure 8.
FYI The Isle of Man's territorial
seas extend
to 12 nautical miles or some 1500 square miles / 4000 square kilometres (87% of
the total 'territory' of
the Isle of Man). The Island has sole jurisdiction within its 0-3 mile limit
for fisheries management.
(Thanks to Andy Fishman-- reporting in from the UK)
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