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Martin Ellis, a West Cornwall fisherman whose shark fishing success has
angered conservationists, has landed more than 130 porbeagle shark at
Newlyn in three separate fishing trips. And he remains determined to continue,
despite having received anonymous death threats.
Martin's wife, Sally, received a message from the answerphone at home
saying if he did not leave the shark alone he would be in danger.
Local fishing expert Phil Lockley described the anonymous caller as "a
true coward", adding: "He's a person I pity, since Martin is
known by all as a gentle giant."
Mr Lockley, like Mr Ellis, also questions last week's claims by Alison
Hood of the Shark Trust that catching so many porbeagle shark in such
a short space of time was potentially "disastrous".
He said: "Look at landing declarations from deep water Cornish hake
netters; porbeagle shark often blunder into their nets from spring until
now. There are plenty of porbeagle.
"It is another emotive issue where a few UK fishermen become daubed
with the political 'black brush' while French longline fishermen go on
without a care in the world."
He added: "EU Commissioners and the Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs now propose that South West fishermen must make a cut
in the meagre cod quotas by a further 47 per cent, encouraging our fishermen
to chase non-quota species.
"Martin Ellis has developed such a fishery, yet become the centre
of that emotive issue. In France he would be applauded.
Mr Ellis says: "I welcome debate on all aspects of the issue. Porbeagle
shark is a non-pressure stock species for which I believe we can operate
a sustainable long-line fishery. The French already do so and are very
successful.
"The amount that we in the UK land in comparison to the French boats
that operate around British shores looking for porbeagle is a drop in
the ocean."
Article copyright THE CORNISHMAN
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