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Common name - Bass, seabass
Scientific name - Dicentrarchus labrax
Rating
  • 1
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Caught at sea Handline
Capture Area North East Atlantic  FAO 27
Stock Area North Sea, Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay, English Channel
Stock Detail IV, VII, VIII
Summary
The precise status of bass stocks is unknown and fishing effort and catch is not controlled. Recreational landings are significant and are estimated to exceed commercial catches in some areas. These are largely unreported and unregulated. ICES advises that catches should not be allowed to increase in 2012. The fishery would also benefit from more comprehensive effort and/or catch regulations and measures to protect juvenile fish. Seabass caught by handlining methods in the southwest of England are an especially good choice, as all fish can be identified by a tag in the gill, providing traceability back to the individual fisherman who caught it. Ask for fish which has been line-caught and tagged. For more information see www.linecaught.org.uk. The gill-net fishery off the Holderness Coast of north east England, between Flamborough Head Lighthouse and Spurn Point was certified as an environementally responsible fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in December 2007 and is another good choice. Avoid pelagic trawled seabass, as the fishery impacts upon the pre-spawning stock and has significant cetacean bycatch.
Biology
Bass belongs to a family of spiny-finned fish called Moronidae, which are closely related to groupers. Bass breed from March to mid-June, mostly in April, in British coastal and offshore waters. From January-March in the Bay of Biscay and from February to May in the English Channel and eastern Celtic Sea. It is a long-lived and slow growing species - up to 30 years of age, and can achieve a length of up to 1m with a weight of 12kg. Male bass mature at 31-35cm (aged 3-6 years) and females mature at 40-45cm (aged 5-8 years). Once mature, bass may migrate within UK coastal waters and occasionally further offshore. Increases in sea water temperature in recent decades has likely led to a more northerly distribution of seabass as it is now found further north into the North Sea. Climate warming may also have lengthened the time adult seabass spend in the summer feeding areas.
Stock Information
Commercial bass fisheries developed in the late 1970s and 1980s. Bass is important to inshore artisanal fishers, offshore fisheries, and recreational anglers, and has a high socio-economic value. Possible stock areas were defined for seabass in 2001, based on local fisheries for the species and on seasonal migrations, but these need to be further evaluated. Until stock structure and management units are defined reliable stock assessments cannot be carried out. There is insufficent information to evaluate the stock and no reference points have been defined. Currently there is no TAC (Total Allowable Catch) for this species. Based on precautionary considerations ICES advised that overall catches should not be allowed to increase in 2012. ICES also recommends the implementation of 'input' controls, preferably through technical measures (Minimum landing sizes, mesh sizes etc.) to protect juvenile fish, in conjunction with limiting entry to the offshore fishery in particular.
Capture Information
Most seabass are caught in mixed species fisheries and comprise an inshore and offshore component. Inshore, small day-boats operate using a variety of fishing methods (e.g. trawl, seine, handline, gillnet, rod, and line) with relativlely little activity in the winter. Seabass is the most important marine recreational angling species in the UK, Ireland and France. Juvenile bass are protected by a minimum landing size of 36cm in EU waters (37.5cm in some coastal areas of England and Wales). A UK Government proposal to increase the MLS for seabass to 45cm was rejected by fishermen in favour of retaining the EU MLS of 36cm. National legislation in the UK restricts boat fishing in 37 bass nursery areas and there is a ban on gillnets with a mesh size of 7- 8.9 cm. The boats handlining for bass are usually between 15 and 20ft in length and work from the many small coves and harbours dotted around the Coast of Cornwall and Devon. These fishermen use techniques and skills that have often been passed on for generations. Each boat usually uses three lines – two attached to long bamboo poles (one on each side of the boat) and the other line over the stern. Each line is weighted by a 2 - 3lb weight and consists of approx. 50-60 metres of monofilament line with an artificial rubber eel on the end. The lines are towed behind the boat at 1knot in a technique known as ‘trolling’. Some fishermen also use rods to catch bass. When a fish is hooked it is hauled to the side of the boat (by hand – not even gloves!) where a landing net is then used to lift the fish out of the water. Fishing in this way is unpredictable and requires a great deal of skill and patience as often fish maybe there but not feeding. Therefore, when weather conditions allow fishing can be from dawn til dusk. Line caught bass from Cornwall and Devon is generally available from May to January, with height of season being October to December. Fishermen in Cornwall and South Wales have a bigger Minimum Landing Size (MLS) than the rest of the UK meaning that at least the male fish caught off Cornwall are larger and have had more chance to reproduce. See www.linecaught.org.uk for more information.
References
ICES Advice 2011, Book 9
Alternatives
(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
Read what the consumer pages of the Good Fish Guide say about this species.