Fishermen's Tale
Here's a sad tale from The Independent about Chinese fisherman who claim to have caught, quite innocently, a two tonne whale shark which became snarled in their fishing net.
Now I don't but their story because even I know that whale sharks are filter feeders and feed mainly on plankton, just like many species of whale.
So I'm glad the authorities stepped in because these guys are not nearly as dumb and naive as they would have people believe.
Endangered whale shark caught by Chinese fishermen – then driven to market
The fishermen claimed to be unaware of the laws protecting the species
By ADAM WITHNALL - The Independent
This fisherman in China must have thought his luck was in when he pulled in his net on Friday to find a “giant fish” weighing two tonnes trapped inside.
Seemingly unaware that what he found was an endangered – and protected – whale shark, fishing captain Cai Chengzhu strapped the fish to the back of a truck and took it off to market.
The extraordinary images that followed have caused quite a stir on Sina Weibo, the closest Chinese equivalent to Twitter, with photographs showing the vehicle completely dwarfed by its magnificent cargo.
Cai said that he and his colleagues had been lifting their net out of the water when they spotted a huge hole in the side.
In an interview with News 163 translated by the Shanghaiist, the captain said: “It's believed that the giant creature broke the net and got inside to eat the fish we caught.”
This fisherman in China must have thought his luck was in when he pulled in his net on Friday to find a “giant fish” weighing two tonnes trapped inside.
Seemingly unaware that what he found was an endangered – and protected – whale shark, fishing captain Cai Chengzhu strapped the fish to the back of a truck and took it off to market.
The extraordinary images that followed have caused quite a stir on Sina Weibo, the closest Chinese equivalent to Twitter, with photographs showing the vehicle completely dwarfed by its magnificent cargo.
Cai said that he and his colleagues had been lifting their net out of the water when they spotted a huge hole in the side.
In an interview with News 163 translated by the Shanghaiist, the captain said: “It's believed that the giant creature broke the net and got inside to eat the fish we caught.”
These extraordinary images from the streets of Xiangzhi in Fujian province were posted to WeiboCai said that the whale shark struggled to escape the net but died shortly afterwards, so the fishermen took it to shore with the rest of their haul.
They reportedly planned to sell the enormous fish for between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan (£960-£1920) at the wholesale market in Xiangzhi until officials from the Fujian fisheries department stepped in.
They reportedly planned to sell the enormous fish for between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan (£960-£1920) at the wholesale market in Xiangzhi until officials from the Fujian fisheries department stepped in.
Fisheries officials prevented the sale of the giant fish, which is protected under national regulationsWhale sharks are a vulnerable species and classed as protected in China, making it illegal to either buy or sell them.
They are the largest of all fish species – an adult being roughly the size of a single-decker bus – and can live up to 100 years. Fully-grown they measure between 5.5 and 10m-long – suggesting that, at 4.5m, the specimen caught by Cai and his colleagues was a juvenile.
I was amazed to read in the Sunday Times that members of a Scottish fishing family retain a big interest in the UK's fishing quotas despite being part of a £63 million 'black fish' scam.
Now that seems completely ridiculous to me - a bit like putting Count Dracula in charge of the nation's blood transfusion service.
Skippers in £63m fish scam land big quota
By Jon Ungoed-Thomas
MEMBERS of a Scottish fishing family convicted of secretly landing millions of pounds of illegally caught herring and mackerel are some of the biggest holders of fishing quota in Britain, it has been revealed.
The four millionaire skippers were accused of “absolutely staggering” greed in a case in 2012. Police said they were part of a £63m “black fish” scam that was “serious, organised and criminal”.
Andrew, William, Robert and Peter Tait were fined for making undeclared landings of £1.5m each.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Gibson, who led the investigation, said after the hearing:
“These four men were an organised crime group who committed crimes for huge financial gain over a prolonged period. They chose to put their own greed ahead of the law.”
It has now emerged that their Klondyke Fishing Company of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is one of the biggest holders of fishing rights in the country.
One of its three vessels, the Chris Andra, has the third largest holding in Britain.
The details of the holdings have emerged in the first published register of the allocation of Britain’s fishing quota.
The latest company accounts show that Klondyke, which has 13 employees, made a profit before tax of £18m in the year to June 30, 2012, on turnover of £31.8m.
The large turnover was attributed to “an increased quota allocation and market prices for mackerel and herring”. The net worth of the company was £34.6m, with the value of the quota and vessel licences estimated at £8.79m.
The “black fish” scam, in which all three Klondyke trawlers participated, was described by a High Court judge as an “episode of shame” for the Scottish fishing industry. It involved more than 20 skippers from several companies landing fish in excess of quotas.
An investigation, launched in 2005 because of discrepancies between declared landings and actual earnings from fish sales, discovered that underground pipes and concealed weighing scales were used to land illicit fish.
In June 2012, the four members of the Tait family admitted failing to declare landings. They were fined a total of £155,000 for breaches of European regulations.
Greenpeace said this weekend the case highlighted the need for radical reform.
Klondyke said none of the Tait family was available for comment because they were at sea.
They are the largest of all fish species – an adult being roughly the size of a single-decker bus – and can live up to 100 years. Fully-grown they measure between 5.5 and 10m-long – suggesting that, at 4.5m, the specimen caught by Cai and his colleagues was a juvenile.
Black Fish (19 January 2014)
I was amazed to read in the Sunday Times that members of a Scottish fishing family retain a big interest in the UK's fishing quotas despite being part of a £63 million 'black fish' scam.
Now that seems completely ridiculous to me - a bit like putting Count Dracula in charge of the nation's blood transfusion service.
By Jon Ungoed-Thomas
MEMBERS of a Scottish fishing family convicted of secretly landing millions of pounds of illegally caught herring and mackerel are some of the biggest holders of fishing quota in Britain, it has been revealed.
The four millionaire skippers were accused of “absolutely staggering” greed in a case in 2012. Police said they were part of a £63m “black fish” scam that was “serious, organised and criminal”.
Andrew, William, Robert and Peter Tait were fined for making undeclared landings of £1.5m each.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Gibson, who led the investigation, said after the hearing:
“These four men were an organised crime group who committed crimes for huge financial gain over a prolonged period. They chose to put their own greed ahead of the law.”
It has now emerged that their Klondyke Fishing Company of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is one of the biggest holders of fishing rights in the country.
One of its three vessels, the Chris Andra, has the third largest holding in Britain.
The details of the holdings have emerged in the first published register of the allocation of Britain’s fishing quota.
The latest company accounts show that Klondyke, which has 13 employees, made a profit before tax of £18m in the year to June 30, 2012, on turnover of £31.8m.
The large turnover was attributed to “an increased quota allocation and market prices for mackerel and herring”. The net worth of the company was £34.6m, with the value of the quota and vessel licences estimated at £8.79m.
The “black fish” scam, in which all three Klondyke trawlers participated, was described by a High Court judge as an “episode of shame” for the Scottish fishing industry. It involved more than 20 skippers from several companies landing fish in excess of quotas.
An investigation, launched in 2005 because of discrepancies between declared landings and actual earnings from fish sales, discovered that underground pipes and concealed weighing scales were used to land illicit fish.
In June 2012, the four members of the Tait family admitted failing to declare landings. They were fined a total of £155,000 for breaches of European regulations.
Greenpeace said this weekend the case highlighted the need for radical reform.
Klondyke said none of the Tait family was available for comment because they were at sea.
