Steaming home with 370 tonnes on board, skipper Hjalmer Kristensen on the Susanita L-228 says that the sea is alive with fish and the quota has been set far too low for 2019.
‘We are returning after two and a half days’ fishing with 370 tonnes, and the trip was cut short because of a mechanical problem. But we’ll be leaving as soon as it’s fixed,’ he said.
He commented that they are fortunate not to have to steam too far to find fish, which are closer to the coast than in previous seasons.
‘Right now we rarely have to go more than 100 miles to find fish. In the last trip we were at Elbow Spit and we could see brisling all the way on the sonar and the sounder. We hardly ever seen so much at this point in the season.’
He added that there is also no significant by-catch with the brisling, which he feels is because the fish are so dense that they force other species out – as herring do when they are there in heavy concentrations.
He added that he sold his own boat some time ago and now skippers Susanita for the Hametner fishing company.
‘I have never regretted selling boats and quotas, but with the situation like it is now, I have to say that I’m even more convinced that the decision was the right one,’ he said.
‘Danish fishing is going in one direction. I think it’s crazy to be placing these restrictions when it’s clear to everyone in the fishery that there is more than enough fish. Politicians and experts can’t apply a formula to everything. They need to listen to those who have forty, fifty or sixty years of fishing experience behind them.’
