DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A CLOSED SEASON ON THE CATCHING WILD SEA BASS FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH?
'The king of the sea', Wild Sea Bass is caught in local waters and has the finest delicate flavour and deliciously firm but flaky flesh. Have you heard there is a closed season for the fishing of sea bass during February and March - ever wondered why?
"Some years ago, the wild sea bass fishery was in a poor state and the bio mass (stocks) needed to be protected and allowed to regenerate. For decades there had been a fishery within the English Channel which involved ‘pair trawling’ – two trawlers towing a net between them, catching sea bass in bulk. This was a very successful method of fishing, in fact it proved to be far too successful. For many years EU fishermen had been taking too many fish, leaving stocks seriously depleted.
When I was a much younger man in my early 20s, I used to fish commercially off the South Coast of Cornwall. In the early months of the year, we would fish a favourite fishing ground just off Plymouth, known as The Eddystone Rocks. The lighthouse, the Eddystone, marks these very dangerous rocks, protecting shipping when entering the port of Plymouth. For the average fisherman looking for his income, sea bass used to abound around it. There is nothing quite like watching the trawl being hauled to the boat and seeing these beautiful silver fish spilling out onto the deck. The number of fish we caught was modest when compared with other styles of fishing.
As a result of depleted stocks of sea bass all fishing was banned, apart from a limited number of small boats which were licenced to catch ‘hook & line’ fish, rather like anglers except on a commercial basis. As well as this restriction, a conservation measure was introduced which created a closed season when the fish are spawning. For the sea bass this is in February March and this closure is still in operation today, helping to protect stocks for the future.
This closure has been operating for a number of years and it is so exciting to see that stocks of bass are improving year on year. From a fishmonger's point of view, it is so pleasing to see a policy in operation which is effective, and not just ticking a scientific box!
The upside of this is, if you enjoy sea bass, January is the time to buy as otherwise you'll have to wait until April 1st when the fishery reopens after the two-month closed season.
About 15 years ago I was talking to a scientist based on one of the Channel Islands. The reason for the telephone call was, I had purchased a fish which had a tag with a telephone number attached to it. I called to share the information as was requested on the tag. What followed on from this discussion on the telephone, was perhaps one of the most exciting half hours of my life within the fishing industry. I learned more about the sea bass and its migratory habits. It turns out that sea bass congregate in the northern parts of the Bay of Biscay and migrate slowly up through the channel, passing the Isles of Scilly and wandering up through towards the straits of Dover. This all takes about two to three months and is a migration which happens in the early months of the year. Once the fish have past the straits of Dover they appear to dissipate and spawn on the Eastern coast of the UK.
You get nothing for free in this world! I am advised by the anglers who fish off the East coast, that the sea bass were eating some of the dabs which abound in that part of the coast! All I can say is the sea bass is a much nicer tasting fish than the Dab!
In today's world we tend to favour catching sea bass with a hook and line, rather like an angler would. The benefit of this type of fishery is one hook one fish; there is nothing more sustainable than this type of fishery. The prime benefits of this style of fishing is the flesh of the fish is kept in perfect condition. It's important that we look after our fish and deliver it to you in its very best condition. That way when you come to cook and eat it, you too can appreciate the delicious sea bass at its very best."
Rob Wing, Managing Director - Wing of St Mawes.
Sea Bass will never be the cheapest option but we firmly believe it is in the top five best fish to eat. Sea bass is a great low-fat source of protein, and a good source of selenium; which is a powerful anti-oxidant.
Sea Bass Facts
- Premium source of low fat
- Lean protein
- Landed in Newlyn
- Good availability in winter but more sporadic in summer
We support all sustainable fishing practices, so you can eat Sea Bass safe in the knowledge that it has been caught sustainably and the stocks are being well looked after for the future with this pause in fishing. We are lucky enough to closely work with local fisherman and they work with us to gather enough stock while it was in abundance and at its best, so we can still sell through the pause in fishing. This stock is blast frozen in our factory to lock in the freshness.
