Look after your wrasse - a salutary lesson from Donegal

[fedstar]

another poster wrote,

[a minimum distance between anglers so that a mark wouldn't get fished out in a few hours,

I think that type of ground breaking rule would be the overflow donny boy is trying to warn us about.

Fedstar...

Last edited by fedstar on Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I am only fishing a very short while and even though I'm excited about any catch I throw it back however have seen the eastern European and Chinese lads keeping all size fish and dog fish only had an argument last Saturday night with one cause had an 11 yr old girl out with me and they drew a blank she caught three whiting on the one line and they screamed up at her she was a c**t not very nice at all. In your case I would have done what I done approach them and show we are not "stupid Irish" rather proud and protective of what we love!


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.293214,-6.137559

...have seen the eastern European and Chinese lads keeping all size fish and dog fish only had an argument last Saturday night with one cause had an 11 yr old girl out with me and they drew a blank she caught three whiting on the one line and they screamed up at her she was a c**t ...

that's just brutal man, well done for keeping your cool, I'd surely would have reacted differently...

Ah in fairness there was no cool kept going same spot on Friday again without going off topic I simply agree with op they have a complete lack of respect for the sport the people and the country with how they behave I am happy when someone else pulls something out of the water means the area is not blank at least but killing all manner of fish for no reason is just wrong


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.293234,-6.137502

I am only fishing a very short while and even though I'm excited about any catch I throw it back however have seen the eastern European and Chinese lads keeping all size fish and dog fish only had an argument last Saturday night with one cause had an 11 yr old girl out with me and they drew a blank she caught three whiting on the one line and they screamed up at her she was a c**t not very nice at all. In your case I would have done what I done approach them and show we are not "stupid Irish" rather proud and protective of what we love!

WOW that wasn't very nice!!! some "people!" (use that term very losely) just need to be shoved into the sea!! But I fish with some really really nice FN's and very respectful of the fish they catch and in fact they are upset as we are, so in that case I know we can't target or brand all FN's with the same brush, for example at present there is a swimming comittee branding all Anglers as litter bugs because they found on a beach empty bait boxes, discarded mono etc. I know for a fact I pick up after myself and have taken bags of rubbish home, and most of the lads I go out with do the same. So its unfair to put us all in the same boat (pardon the pun ) But to get back on topic.. the rod license... I would have to agree with whats been said no problem about paying for it... BUT with the Governments we've had in over the past few years I wouldn't get them to mind my dog let alone our fish stocks!! But an overall all size limit yes I'd agree, but just a question i have on that ... what about deep hooked fish? I know some of the pin whitting that get deep hooked and die, i save them and use as bait for a later trip, BUT if I can return ANY undersize fish I will do my utmost

I know we can't target or brand all FN's with the same brush, for example at present there is a swimming comittee branding all Anglers as litter bugs because they found on a beach empty bait boxes, discarded mono etc.

a very good point kevin. i hate it when people see us fishing away and the mark looks like a tip! they are looking at us in disgust thinking it is our rubbish. we've resorted to doing the same as yourself and clean the place up before we start now. but it must be the same for the foreign lads who do respect the seas and get tarred with the same brush as the scum who do the damage. i know a few foreign fellas who have been posting on the site for a few years and they are top blokes who obey all the sea angling rules. and that includes the unwritten rules like giving lads room to fish and not casting over the guy beside you just because he caught a fish. i hope these lads don't think any of the comments in this topic is directed at them in any way as that would be a case of ""preaching to the chior"".

It sickens me to read this thread as it only reminds me of what I see only too often.

Firstly

Give over with the Politically Correct stance.
These idiots are slaying fish. In rivers, canals, lakes and seas for years. Its not pulling the racist card it is FACT.
I have witnessed a group either side of a canal walking with a net. Later when I returned with the Chairman of the local club we witnessed the same lads attempting to net a swan. I have seen the damage they did to small lakes in Roscommon first hand. And now I see it on the rocks and beaches of the sea.

Secondly

There is absolutely no talking to these idiots...they simply do NOT listen and certainly do NOT care. You, me or all the members of this site will not change their way of thinking.
I have approached many FN over fish size and numbers but it is just wasted on them.

Thirdly

How many people are on here moaning about them fishing in "their" areas and yet these same people still put up detailed reports and photos on this site and others for ALL to see?


The majority of these people are here to rape and pilferage everything that Ireland has to offer and sadly that includes our fish. That is not a racist remark that is fact and if you get to talk to an honest one they will tell you they are here for one reason only-to get what they can from us.

What are the solutions then?

Personally I have some ideas which involves shall we say "group therapy" when approaching these idiots but it is not posting material.
I think education and laws are options to be made available to prevent this. But one thing is clear ;there is definitely a serious problem in all of our fisheries that needs addressing urgently.

Crevan

I emailed Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, to inform his office of whats going on and give them the general jist of this thread. The only problem I have approaching anyone whos keeping undersize fish is that theres no size limit for the vast majority of fish at the moment and they can turn around and tell me to go and mind my own business , or words to that effect . If there were a legal size limit, I'd have a better argument and in these days of mobile phone cameras etc, there wouldnt be any need to get confrontational with anyone, just letting them know theyre breaking the law and pointing a phone in their direction would do the trick. Last year I let it go for a few weeks at one particular mark, and by the time I confronted them(6 lads) and spoofed that they were breaking the law, the local wrasse population had been wiped out for the season. Whatever about other fish, the Wrasse, as has been said previously, is territorial, and slow growing, so once wiped out of a particular mark will take a while to recover.
Anyways, some civil servant has assured me that

I will bring your correspondance and the concerns you have outlined to the Minister's attention at the earliest practical juncture and will make relevant enquiries in the interim

I would respectfully suggest that we'll get nowhere ranting about "FN's" etc, even though most of have first hand experiences of what goes on out there.The minimum size limit is the way to go in my opinion(whatever thats worth ).
Working for a County Council, I have experience of the principle of "He who shouts loudest is heard" and would encourage you to email the aforementioned Minister Simon Coveney at simon.coveney@oir.ie and give him some grief over the lack of minimum size limits for fish. I cant see any argument against minimum sizes I'm going to haunt him on this issue,why not do the same ? I mentioned that this site has over 6,600 members, all passionate about angling in Ireland . While youre at it you can also give him a pat on the back for his decision to turn down a request to re-open the commercial Bass fishery in the Celtic Sea.

Ya, only a MLS for most fisheries fish...

http://sfpa-ie.access.secure-ssl-server ... ding-sizes

From teh governments point of view where would they stop... if they gave a MLS for wrasse they would need to do all fish... imagine a MLS for a blenny?

I would respectfully suggest that we'll get nowhere ranting about "FN's" etc,:

Thank God for that bit of sense, for awhile there I thought we were only a couple of posts away from someone attemping to organise a FN bashing night.

Mark

I would respectfully suggest that we'll get nowhere ranting about "FN's" etc,:

Thank God for that bit of sense, for awhile there I thought we were only a couple of posts away from someone attemping to organise a FN bashing night.

Mark

No one mentioned anything of the sort here so stop trying to sh1t stir, this post is going well.
People are only stating facts about what they have seen and how they would like to stop it
and it seems the FN's are the major problem and they will get worse if not stopped.
Most of the people up in court are FN's for the coarse fisihing and some of them are getting
heavily find by a particular judge McBride. Maybe they have all turned their attention to the sea
now so something needs to be done about it. Some people have joined a club called LAKEWATCH
and are having success. Maybe we should try set up something ourselves I would gladly help out.

This is a really sad post to read. I have 2 similar marks that only my family and a handful of friends know about. Like that 20-40 wrasse per session. We have kept these marks extra quiet for years and people we know well have asked us about the marks and we wont tell them the locations. This post is the reason why. All it takes is for one of these scavengers to find out and clean the place out. It is pure and other greed from people who dont care.

They are carrying on like this all over the country. I have seen them swipe small schoolie bass, tiny flounder, silver eels. My mate saw them cutting the wings of rays and throwing them back in again.

It kills me to see a sport that I love to be hurt in such a manner. I wish there could be something done. Alot of the time they have to cut through land to get to these marks. I would suggest contacting who ever owns the land on the way to these marks and deny them entry for a start.

Wrasse are not even nice to eat but it doesnt matter to these lads. Size or taste is doesnt matter.

I feel sorry for this guy watching his mark being cleaned out like this. Wrasse are great sport. I wonder if we carried on like
this in these guys countries, how would we be recieved.

DISGRACE

I deal with FN's every day through my work. One of my staff said jokingly to a Polish guy that there were so many of them here now he was thinking of moving to Poland to get work. The guy replied that he would be told to fcuk off !!! He even said that no one there would employ Irish and that there are signs up in businesses saying no Irish. Thats how we would be treated. Personally I think we're far too tolerant.

The issue of Foreign nationals keeping undersized fish is one which has boiled under the surface for a good few years now. I doubt you'd find a single Angler on this site who's been fishing for 2+ years who have not incurred the scurge of the FNs. My personal experience of our "friends" have been brief, but non the less sickening, I've had the misfortune of witnessing the chinese clearing the population of small wrasse from Donaghadee Harbour, and was asked by an eastern european fella what he'd caught, when he dumped a bag of Shore Rockling at my feet on Bangor pier. Every incident, for every like minded Angler in Ireland has the same blood boiling effect, the protection of our sport is at the forefront of all our concerns. The proposals for a rod licence are well founded and have had whispers of support from all quarters at some point, however, I personally see it as unenforcable, with 1,448km apprx of Coastline to police (Possibly in the South alone), it would be a logistical nightmare.

The fact is, even with the uniting voice of the IFSA, and other such organisations we are not heard, and we are certainly not understood, I don't know how many times I've stood, on a pier or beach only to be asked (by our own people), if I'd "caught my dinner yet?". Besides Sea Anglers, who fish for sport, be it recreationally, or competition anglers, who do you know who actually understand a C&R mentality? The FNs, obviously don't, they're stuck back in the dark ages, with a catch it, kill it, eat it mentality, and I hate to say it, but most non anglers would tar us with the same brush, as many of them are stuck with similar ideas. You fish to eat, you know, like John West .

So, my belief, in order to erradicate the problems of overfishing, by the FNs, and the ignorant, first we need to find a platform of education for the average joe on the street, to make them realise the damage which is occuring, the unsustainability of these kind of attitudes, and probably most importantly the ethics and logic behind why choose to sportfish in Ireland.

No doubt I'm preaching to the choir here.... sadly we need to find a way to get our choir onto the radio so our voices will be heard...

Sorry to hear about your wrasse mark Pete man, breaks my heart to hear about sh*t like that...