VS FISHERIES...................INTERVIEW

Mac · VS FISHERIES...................INTERVIEW

Folks, we are hopefully going to be doing a few interviews with some of our site supporters, to try and get a little insight into their business and a little bit about them

1st up is Viv Shears

1) Can you tell us how and when you started fish farming? What breed/strain do you prefer to grow?

Well as a business VS Fisheries came into being back in 2006 when Simon Scott and I secured the use of our first site and from then we moved to our current farm in Sussex in early 2007. To say it has been a success would be putting it politely and has given us the confidence to expand the business rapidly over the last 12 months. Both of us have grown fish in the past especially when I was at RMC Angling (now Cemex). The biggest fish that we have spawned and stocked out are well into the mid 40lb bracket and will be 10 years old next year so we feel we have a reasonable eye for good looking fish that grow well too!

Well now strains of fish.... how long is a piece of string? There are several fantastic strains out there in the UK which we would love to breed and luckily we have a number of strains that we are very confident in at the moment. At the moment the bulk of our fish are Leney Dink crosses which give us great looking fish with a good growth rate and they are doing very well in the lakes that we have supplied over the past two winters.
Over the next few years we have some other strains and crosses coming up to marketable size which we are very excited about to say the least! We have Sutton, Sutton x Leney and also Sutton x Dink strains within our small fish ponds at the farm and they are something special! When one customer heard about them they placed an order for them as 10lb fish in 3 years time despite the fish only being 3 inches long when he called!
In general we like to use fish that produce relatively scaley offspring but with a wide range of characteristics from leathers to fully scaled and stunning commons. Never ones to think we have the best fish available both Simon and I are looking at a couple of other first class strains out there that we hope to incorporate into our breeding programme in the future.
Here's some examples

2) Is KHV the biggest threat to carp fishing in this country or is it greedy/irresponsible lake owners?

Well you have included two of the big threats but there are many more in my book!
Yes without doubt KHV is a big threat and we really need to get a full picture of its spread within the UK. The authorities need more money to fund this and carry out huge amounts of research into the virus. New legislation will hopefully reduce the importation of the virus from abroad and this may enable us to ‘get our house in order’ in the UK. How much of an impact KHV will have is anyone’s guess! The fact that government funded research, around £200,000 plus what ECHO and other organisations have put into the ‘research pot’, is probably less than the value of the fish already lost countrywide in one year to this aggressive virus perhaps puts things into perspective and suggests we need to investigate this more fully.
As for greedy and / or irresponsible lake owners there are a number of those out there and must be controlled before it goes too far. I am a firm believer in that industries need to set codes of practice and promote the good ones out there that do it properly.A good example of how this can work is the recently developed Fisheries Accreditation Scheme where fisheries are assessed on certain criteria surrounding welfare and water quality parameters. Promotion of such fisheries to the angling public will allow them to make a more informed choice perhaps in the future.
To an extent anglers have driven the need for these so called “carp puddles”, where catching over 200lbs of fish is a common occurrence. As with many things in life the public want things easier and quicker than they did 15 years ago and some people have cashed in on this demand at the cost of fish welfare. I believe with the angling anti’s out there looking at the industry then we must ensure that fish are well managed and their general welfare be considered before that extra few thousand pounds of profit is pocketed!
We need to ensure the industry sets standards and anglers vote with their feet making life harder for the more unsavoury fishery managers out there to make a living.

3) What precautions do you take in your work to prevent diseases?

Bio security is probably one of the most thought about issues with regards VS Fisheries, as should we ever find a serious parasite or disease on the farm then we would be out of business or restricted massively! We ensure that we disinfect the farms equipment on a regular basis, restrict access to our site and ensure that whenever we go on a delivery all of the equipment is disinfected as soon as we get back to our holding unit. We use a chemical called Virkon which is effective against viruses, bacteria and parasites. It’s not cheap but the thought of a fish disease outbreak on the farm just doesn’t bear thinking about. In summary, we take every practical step that we can to ensure the bio security of the fish farm.

4) Do we need to breed from other strains to protect our future in carp fishing?

There are numerous strains within the UK nowadays that are more than capable of protecting and improving our carp fishing future. Careful selection of strains and thoughtful crossing of these strains can ensure that we develop fish of greater potential than we have in the past. There are many more carp farmers out there than people realise and the choice of different strains is wider than ever before.

5) What do you think of simmos ??

Firstly a little bit of correct terminology as I hate the word “Simmos”!

These fish are actually produced by John Paton at Fishers Pond Fisheries based down in Hampshire and Mark “Simmo” Simmonds of Heather Fisheries selects the best of these to on grow to the weights he sells them at.

As to my thoughts ...well having bought literally 1000’s of them in my time at RMC I obviously rate them. I used their fish as they could provide the numbers and sizes of fish that I needed for the RMC lakes and were one of the few suppliers that met my exacting requirements of what I needed from the fish. I was in charge of stocking fisheries with very well known and famous fisheries and needed new fish that I felt safe stocking – Fishers Pond fish ticked the boxes when I was there at RMC.
The reason that they are so well known is that they are easily available, from a very well managed farm, of clean health status and a good track record of growing quickly. I expect that the biggest fish in many of the lakes up and down the country are from this strain and make thousands of anglers happy when they catch them. Yes anything popular will have its critics and there will always be people that don’t like certain looking types of fish but as fish farmers none of us will ever produce a fish that will make everyone happy! There are several carp farmers out there nowadays offering various types of carp and the choice is the customers as to what “look” and characteristics they want for their fishery.

6) When a potential client comes to you, do you go and inspect their lakes before letting them place an order? If so what will you be looking for and have you ever turned anyone away?

I would love to be able to say Yes, Lots and Yes. In reality we just don’t have the time to do this level of checking.

I would say that the vast majority of people we supply run well managed fisheries. When a new customer calls for the first time we tend to talk on the phone about their fishery and future aims for the lake and hope any advice we give is of use to the customer. We want the best environment for our carp so feel that discussing the management of the fishery means that both our fish thrive in their new home and the customers are pleased with the results! We do occasionally carry out a formal consultancy service for fishery managers and angling clubs if they want general fisheries advice about their waters.
I have never turned a customer away other than when we are sold out but many customers are prepared to wait for our fish and simply place an order for the following winter or beyond that. Having said that I have had customers call me looking for a certain size of fish but after a conversation and discussing what they want to achieve a few people have ended up ordering fish of a different size because they will produce the desired result better than the original sized fish would have.

7) How often do you get to go fishing yourself?

Since the fish farming I have hardly carp fished seriously at all over the past few years as my time has been focused on the business and I get such a buzz from carp farming that fishing has slipped in priority. Recently I have bought a pole and have spent many great afternoons with my 8 year old daughter, Natasha, catching a variety of species and have really enjoyed getting back to the type of fishing I did some 15 years ago. Teaching youngsters to fish is something everyone should do more as the feeling of them catching fish gives you a wonderful feeling and I think it’s nice to put something back into the sport and help ensure there are plenty of anglers for the future.

What carp fishing I have done has been short stalking sessions in clear water which is a HUGE buzz! I hope to spend a little more time on a local lake next spring and then possibly down to the Ringwood area to chase a few down there – but who knows what next year will bring!

8) When you do go how long are your average sessions?

I have never been a long stay type of angler as I find I fish more efficiently on 48hr sessions or less. Recently short evening stalking sessions have made up most of my time on the bank and have enjoyed it loads and caught a reasonable number of fish considering. So I guess about an average session of 4 – 6 hours over the last two years. As for how often – well not enough but others things have to come first at times!

9) How long does it take to grow a carp from birth to approx 20lbs?

That depends on so many things and can’t be given as a fixed time really but in general I would expect a fish on our farm to be about 20lbs by the time they reach about 6 summers old (5.5 years in human years!) and these fish would be reared naturally outdoors in ponds. A real ‘shooter’ may reach 20lbs in 5 summers but this is exceptional.
I know, from rearing fish indoors in heated tanks, that it’s more than possible to get a fish to 20lbs in less than two years from egg which is incredible but don’t feel it is that healthy for the fish!

10) Have you ever considered breeding carp for human consumption?

Yes actually, as controversial as that may be too many anglers reading this! But don’t fear demand for our fish for stocking means we aren’t doing it yet!
The world is crying out for fish protein and carp is popular world wide as a food source. In 2006 about 3.3 million tonnes of common carp were produced around the world and I guess that only about 5000 tonnes of those end up being fished for! The demand for table carp in this country is increasing and surely it’s better to produce them for the table rather than ‘Single Scale’ being taken from your favourite fishery and eaten? It is something that will become more common place in the future and if there is a demand then we may produce a ‘table carp’ in years to come!

11) With so much apathy within the carping ranks, have you ever shook your head and felt your efforts as a volunteer for ECHO a waste of time?

I have several times but did the Roman Empire get as far as it did by giving up? The early years were very taxing but eventually we got going properly and what ECHO has achieved is fantastic!

It’s far beyond where we hoped to be 7 years ago! If a carp angler could, hand on heart, disagree with the basic aims and objectives of what ECHO is all about nowadays then I would be amazed. It’s not the elitist group that was initially banded around when it formed by some and anyone that has a care for the future of our carp in this country could join us and ‘Make a difference’. wakeup

12) ECHO make a difference in the corridors of power, but have little or no clout within the carping fraternity. How do you and ECHO plan to change this?

I would disagree with that statement hugely. ECHO doesn’t want ‘clout’ within the industry at all; it just wants to preserve these great fish for future generations plain and simple. If it wasn’t for ECHO then who knows where we would be with regard imported carp, novel diseases and angling being poorly represented in Whitehall.

How I see it is that angling is a hobby / past time / passion whatever you want to call it but if a few people don’t do the horrible bits and take time to represent the sport in the political arena then those that don’t want to get involved with the ‘politics’ may suddenly find that their hobby is seriously under threat. ECHO is still run by volunteers with a passion to protect the sport of carp fishing plain and simple. No one within its committee wants praise or thanks for what they do but rest well in the knowledge we have done positive things for the sport of carp fishing and will continue to do so for many years to come I hope.
ECHO hopes that the new regional structure that is being put in place at the moment will mean that what ECHO has achieved can be highlighted on a more personal scale but also that it can grow into a group that does a lot for its human members and become a well supported group numbers wise. It’s never been about what a member gets out of ECHO and is more about those that care about the future of carp stocks in this country willing to put a little something back.

13) The credit crunch, have you seen any affects on breeding, have orders dropped?

Not at the moment anyway we have had plenty of customers ordering fish for this winter and beyond but who knows the future but things are very positive here at VS Fisheries.

14) What's your take on naming carp, do you see them as anything else except numbers and money?

I have no issue with naming carp at all and yes we even have a few character fish on the farm that have been named! We started VS Fisheries due to a real passion about carp and farming them. Yes it is a business and we have to make the maths work but as important to us is that we produce great fish that will prosper in fisheries for the next 30 plus years and be the historical fish for future generations as Clarissa, Mary, Two Tone have been to so many of us recently. Someone asked me a similar question and I replied “In a way I look forward to the day when I am too old to fish farm, sat in front of a log fire, taking it easy and can open the web browser to get Angling Times online and see a fish we stocked at 10lbs breaking the record then I will be happy!”. All I want is to make a decent living out of it and the passion for it to remain the same as it is now!

15) What is your stance on the "idea/notion" of all anglers entering the sport attaining a certificate of competence?

In a way I think it would be a good idea but it would take angling organisations to unite and provide a structure that not only encourages people into the support but also makes it easier to get into fishing and allows the basics to be learnt practically from people. As the spot light falls on angling and fish welfare more in the future, then to protect the sport, we may need to have some form of basic induction on fish handling etc.

NON-FISHING

1) Away from work and fishing what do you enjoy doing?

Spending time with my daughter but she is an outdoors type who likes fishing and fish farming so we tend to be doing that a lot! I try and fit in some shooting when I can during the winter and then a few clays through the summer. I try to follow quite a few sports, a bit of DIY and enjoy seeing friends and family when time allows. I would love to do lots more but then I would need 36 hrs in a day to fit it all in! cripes!

2) What's been your favourite holiday?

What’s a holiday? There are fish to be farmed and margins to be baited! No, I guess that a trip to Lapland to see Santa with my daughter was most memorable! It was fantastic - one adult and one kid went to Lapland but two kids returned!

3) What is your opinion/stance on the fox hunting ban?

Tricky one really

I used to go fox hunting as a kid but as I have got older I guess my views have changed a little. I believe in defending country life styles and definitely have an issue with ‘city suits’ dictating what happens with traditional rural pursuits. However I do feel that if there are more humane ways of controlling vermin then they should be used. I am glad to see that hunts are still enjoying trailing etc and think that it’s nice to see the hunt out in the country as it is not all about the final kill that makes hunting enjoyable!

4) If you could have dinner with 5 celebrities, who would it be and why?

If I could, and all were alive, they would be:
Winston Churchill – his passion for Britain
Dick Walker – so many questions to ask him
Jeremy Clarkson – just like his attitude and willingness to be out spoken!
George Best – what a player!
Cindy Crawford – beauty and brains!
Oh and Gordon Ramsey would cook and join us for the brandy afterwards!

5) What exams did you pass/fail at school?

Well I got 9 GCSE’s – 5 A’s 3 B’s and a C – English Literature, English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Art, Geography and Design Technology (woodwork)
A-levels – Physics (C), Chemistry (B) and Biology (B)
HND in Fish Farming and Fishery Management where I achieved a Distinction
I am currently at college studying part time now and hoping to achieve my CertEd

So folks, I do hope you enjoyed that, I would also like to thank Viv for taking the time to answer our questions (Hope they weren't too taxing mate

) If anyone wants more info then please pay VS FISHERIES web site a visit
http://www.vsfisheries.co.uk/

JAFFA

Viv I really didn't want to get to the end of this interview buddy and wished I could have asked a 1000 more questions

Most enlightening, entertaining, interesting and thanks for giving us an insight into both your business and yourself

kind regards Jeff

Viv Shears

Thanks Mac & Jaffa...... It was quite fun to write actually and covers so many different areas of what runs around in my head each day.

We are all lucky to be involved in such a great sport and we all get something different out of it in ouir own way. Lets hope a few more decide to give something back to the sport in the coming years!

Hope to get Steve down sometime this winter to show him some of our little ones that are coming through in years to come! They will 'blow' his socks off!

Thanks for the opportunity to write that bit and its encouraged me to put finger to keyboard a little more!

Regards

Viv

Mark Mann

Nice little write up that Viv keep up the good work buddy in some ways our future relies on it!!!

the natural

Nice read.

I want to order some fish now but i don't have a lake. cuckoo!

Ghost

Thanks Viv for taking the time to do the interview.
Your passion for what you do came across, and maybe that’s why I found it so interesting.
Like Jeff, I didn’t want this one to end, I really hope its possible to see you doing a second interview a few months down the line?

CHADDY321

Viv Shears

It was a pleasure and would love to answer any further questions that you guys want! Within reason..

Simon has shown willing to so if you have a list of questions for him then I am sure i can twist his arm a little!

Mac - perhaps if anyone has specific questions for me they could PM you and you collate a part two list of questions???

Thanks for the feedback again and hope that part two may be as interesting!

viv

Mac

No probs Viv

We are currently trying to twist the arms of other site supporters to do interviews but I'm sure we can muster a few more questions for you in the not too distant future