Slaughter on the sands

This was the scene on the beach at Pensarn last Saturday when a gill net was discovered adrift. This single image conveys the damage fixed coastal nets can do to our fisheries far more than any academic paper ever could. It really is time these nets, which are indiscriminate in what they entrap, were banned from our shorelines. Let us hope the Welsh Assembly Government, now it has responsibility for our coastal waters, bans these nets and considers seriously the many benefits of the Golden Mile.