One passerby declares that they saw more than 100 of the animals along a stretch of beach in Merseyside, while another blames the problem on a specific kind of net fishing
A dog walker was shocked when he discovered lots of shark carcasses cleaned up on a beach in Liverpool.
Mick Preston headed down to Leasowe Beach on Wednesday night (May 17) after seeing a Facebook post about dead sea animals cleaning up on the coast.
The 37-year-old said that he tallied up 25 smooth-hound sharks along a little stretch of the beach leading up to the Leasow Golf Club., nevertheless the overall number is anticipated to be much greater, with another passerby stating he counted over a numerous the animals.
Mick informed the ECHO: “Me and the Mrs and dog opted for a walk and it’s simply not a great sight. I’ve done this for a pastime for 22 years – I’ve fished the Mersey considering that I was 14.
“The gillnets are the primary issue. The fish that are surplus to requirements or ones they can’t offer, they’re simply polishing off.
“By the time they have actually been dragged through water in the web and whatever [they’re already dead]. They’re tossed overboard like trash.
“Porpoises, seals, tope have all end up being rather routine in the Mersey and surrounding locations of Mersey. If we’re battling versus contamination and getting someplace and these fish are returning into Mersey…the length of time is it up until numbers reduce considerably and we do not get them once again?
“If a rod and line angler had actually captured it bringing it in they would take an image and launch it then.”
While gilnetting – a form of fishing utilizing vertical panels of netting that hang from a line – is not prohibited, Mick said he feels using the webs requires to be more thoroughly controlled.
He would like the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) to have a higher existence on beaches in the location to help keep an eye on the scenario.
An NWIFCA representative said: “Under present regional and nationwide legislation, it is not prohibited to fish utilizing gill-nets on foot in the Mersey Estuary, nor dispose of undesirable by-catch from those webs. NWIFCA officers frequently patrol the location and carry out assessments of this fishery to guarantee compliance with particular guidelines relating to the physical makeup of the webs in usage.
“As a modern-day regulator, we are eager to receive and examine proof which allows us to think about how finest to handle and control inshore fishing activity in the future. We would ask that any members of the general public who have issues relating to any fishing activity in the location contact us through our email [email protected].”
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