Bass fishing

A fishy story - we follow the traditional wild bass fishermen

Bass is more popular than ever before with chefs and food lovers.

But what it doesn’t always say on the label is that most of it is farmed.

The most expensive bass – most loved by top chefs – is caught by the handliners.

It’s likely to be freshest and least damaged by nets, and handlining is also the most sustainable way of catching it.

Inside Out looks at this time-honoured fishing tradition.

Wild bass

Bass is often called ‘King of the Sea’ - the fish is prized for its high oil content and fantastic taste.

It has become a staple on the menus of many smart restaurants, fuelling additional demand from the public.

Wild bass - a popular choice with top chefs

Half of wild bass is caught in nets but the most highly prized of all is caught using the historic method handed down from father to son.

Handliners use three lines, two from poles on either side of the boat, a third trailing behind.

Fishing in this way means that the bass is in pristine condition when it's caught.

All wild caught bass is subject to a minimum landing size of 36 cms (37.5 in Cornwall).

The government plans to increase this to 45 in 2010 and in the short term is increasing it to 40, from April 1, 2007.

James Nicholls handlines for bass on the Manacles, a group of rocks off the east coast of the Lizard peninsula.

He fears the increase may put him out of business.

A typical fishing day

We follow handliner James Nicholls on a typical day’s fishing.

He catches seven bass.

Under the forthcoming regulations some of the fish caught would still be swimming in the sea.

At Newlyn Market they will fetch around £70 – scant reward for a hard day’s work – but James seems happy enough.

When we're with him, he sells his fish to Trelowarren’s New Yard Restaurant, where head chef Greg Laskey salutes its quality.

Fishermen fear the government has bowed to pressure from the powerful sea angling lobby, who argue that the increase will allow female fish to reach maturity at 42 CMS, spawn and produce more young.

All fishermen, they argue, will benefit from catching bigger and more profitable fish in the future.

Whatever its impact, James Nicholls and fellow handliners are going to find it difficult to turn his back on a job that’s become a way of life.

Links relating to this story:

• South West Handline Fishermens' Association
• DEFRA - Bass fishing
• Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Seafood Cornwall

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Follow the Rhino birth!

Rhino - watch this space for news of her baby!

BBC South West is breaking new ground and giving you the opportunity to witness a black Rhino birth.

Watch the BBC Devon Rhino web cam

This is the first time that a Rhino birth has ever been filmed and we've dug out the Springwatch cameras and installed them at Paignton Zoo to bring this amazing event direct to your home.

Sita, the pregnant Rhino, is being filmed 24 hours a day in anticipation of the big day.

Zoo keepers are watching her closely as this is the first time a Rhino calf has been born at the Zoo.

You can watch the action on the web and tune in to Inside Out to get the whole story.

Fact File

* Black Rhino are critically endangered. There are now thought to be less than 3,100 black Rhino living in the wild in East and Southern Africa.

* Rhinos can live for up to 45 years in zoos.

* Paignton Zoo supports practical Rhino conservation work in Zimbabwe and Malawi. Conservation work in Zoos is also playing a key role in the survival of the species.

* The parents-to-be are Kingo and Sita.

* Kingo (male) is 23-years- old and has already fathered four calves. He weighs in at 1.8 tonnes and came to Paignton Zoo in 2003 from Port Lympe Zoo in Kent.

* Sita is 16 years old, weighs 1.3 tonnes and is a first time mum. She came from Berlin Zoo in 2002. Sita will stay with her calf until it is able to look after itself but black rhinos are solitary animals so Kingo lives in an adjacent paddock.

* Kingo and Sita are part of the coordinated European Endangered species Programme (EEP) for black rhino.

* If all goes well this will be the first black rhino to be born at Paignton Zoo. At birth the calf could weigh around 40kg.

* The cameras being used were first developed for the Channel 4 series Big Brother and have since been used for the BBC's Springwatch and Autumnwatch series. They can pan and tilt at 360 degrees, and use infra red to film in the dark so whatever happens we won't miss a thing.

Watch the webcam

Watch all the action from Sita's paddock on the BBC Devon webcam.

You might even see her giving birth!

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Devon Web cam and Rhino feature
• Paignton Zoo

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

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