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South and West Wales Association of Sea Angling Clubs Sea angling is a popular pastime in South Wales with its many beautiful beaches. Recreational angling is a hobby or pastime activity in which anglers spend a large amount of their money and around which they will arrange their vacation activities with their families, group holidays or short breaks. Studies in the late 1980's and early 1990's show that whilst the UK sale value of commercially netted Sea bass was about £4 million per year, the value of recreational sea angling for bass was £18.5 million. Much of this spending by recreational anglers was in the coastal and tourism part of the economy. It creates and keeps many more jobs and business than does commercial netting. Sand banks are an important source of feeding places for the fish. It has sand eels, crabs, shellfish and shrimps. Lovely grub for bass and flatties. The Nash sand bank was once a popular place to fish by commercial fishermen and anglers. Over the years around 20% of the Nash bank has been removed for its' building sand. Most of the fish have also gone. Is it because of overfishing? I don't think so. Fish don't live there, they visit the sand bankto eat. If the food is gone, they don't go there anymore and will look for food elsewhere. What about the Helwick sand bank? Since the introduction of a bass nursery area in the nearby Loughor and three rivers estuary, the number of young bass has increased considerably in the local area. They are actively netted by commercial fishermen in the worms head area. Anglers compete for the ones that got away and sometimes go home happy. There are bass there to catch because anglers return again and again. The Helwick sand bank is also fished for its' flat fish. Rays are common there in the Spring. Thornbacks, small-eyed rays, quite a variety which are fished by the charter boats from Swansea and Burry Port. About 1% of sand has been removed from the sand bank, but it has been replaced, since the size of the sand bank has not diminished as has the Nash sand bank. So where has the sand come from to replenish the sand bank? Is it from the sand waves further out at sea or the nearby beaches? Broughton Beach is a lovely sandy area nearby. At low water, a deep trench would appear at the furthest point from the shore. Anglers would fish here for sharks, mainly the lesser spotted dogfish type which were plentiful. Some anglers were lucky and caught bigger sharks like the porbeagle. The deep trench is no more and the big fish have gone, although they are still found in Carmarthen bay. So much sand has been lost that the nearby caravan site is being invaded by the sea and a slip way has had to be built to access the site. Horton Beach also near the Helwick sand bank was once popular with bass anglers. But it is being eroded, more rocks have appeared and the high sandy bank is receeding. Sea anglers do not want fishing the Helwick to deteriorate the same way as on the Nash sand bank. That is why we support the Gower- Save Our Sands campaign. For those who are interested in sea angling, we have the following competitions for this year: SWWASAC WINTER LEAGUE Sun. Sept.10th Redwick to Goldcliffe Sun. Oct.8th Laugharne Sun. Nov.12th Ogmore Deeps to Sker Point Sun. Dec.2nd Lavernock Point to Penarth Pier Sun. Dec.17th Aberavon Beach I will be updating this information with more details on contacts, open competitions, and results as I get them. Keep in touch and tight lines. |