Organisation in this upcoming Election year

Message

#1 Post by **MAC** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:02 pm

Having read through the Salmon netting post I've been thinking about Pat's reply about how well organized the salmon anglers are how they managed to effect change in their sport.

I too have recently been thinking about what can be done in the next few months if we were to get some sort of united front and hit the campaigning politicians head on with a demand for conservation at sea to help save our sport and the associated tourism.

There must be enough sea anglers out there to have some considerable weight at election time. We would have to come together though and perhaps for some people break your voting traditions and vote for a party that will promise some action.

I was thinking of writing to the marine spokes person for each party and ask them if they had any proposed policy for fisheries protection at Sea. Perhaps some sensible suggestions for the future if I get a reply. Sinking all Trawlers to form artificial reefs for the improvement of Angling is not sensible suggestion

Perhaps I am being naive, but we have some time to approach each club in Ireland and ask them to mail their members to suggest that they vote for the Political Party that WILL effect some change for our sport. Maybe the potentional votes come next summer might start the ball rolling.

Any thoughts,

Kevin

#2 Post by **corbyeire** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:57 pm

the idea of writing to the marine spokesperson of each party is a good one - think that the idea of actual angler numbers in some tangieable way needs to be given as a carrot to them - and somehow get a petition signed via clubs and the like

the coastal tds can always fall back on the lobby from the trawlermen and the livelyhoods they support - and ignore the angler lobby - which as you said needs to be organised more

how many of the coastal dwellers benefit from the angling tourism etc. versus the numbers that benefit from commercial fishing - have you a good grasp of this?

do the figures add up and compete relative to the voice we want to portray

anyway something needs to be done to let them know - our voice
waffle over - any other opinions?

#3 Post by **MAC** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:20 pm

I have a little free time this morning and have been thinking about this for ages. I sent a letter out to FF PD's, FG and Greens already. I didn't have much time so I kept it brief. I think that's always best as it has more of a chance of getting read.

It would be interesting to get a count on the numbers of anglers involved in clubs and that might actually be easy enough, but there is also lots and lots of Anglers that don't belong to clubs. Just to say there are many thousands of us out there. A petition is one way but not the easiest and very time consuming to put together. Elections are next summer. My thoughts would be that we look a leaflet drops from clubs to their members about any development, if any. We would ask that club members spread the work if there are any proposals on the table. I am not hopeful, as we as a group have been ignored for years, but this election could be tight and we might get some action of conservation if we can rally anglers to one party, especially if the party might be in goverment next year.

We live in hope......

Kev