Have YOU supported the: Stop Salmon Drift nets NOW campaign?

If you make a donatation (Or have made one) ask them nicely to send you some car stickers, they sent me about 10 which arrived yesterday.

Yup, but don't park in a fishing port. Seriously. The issue of abolishing drift nets is a pretty serious issue for fishermen - it's part of their livelihood under threat. You wouldn't be best pleased if someone was campaigning to have your job abolished. Doubtless feelings are running high.

While we are all agreed that drift netting is ruining salmon stocks and at the same time don't want to see peoples livelihoods impacted, the government is making life difficult by refusing to offer any buy-out scheme, much less a fair and equitable one.

You may have noted that on one of my other posts, I put forward my view that the reason for this refusal to offer the buy out by the government is that they want to allow the value of licences to 'decrease' before offering a buy-out at a pittance.

They will doubtless be able to do this through the mechanism of the tag scheme - they know exactly how much fish each fisherman catches, year on year. They will then have figures to back their offer.

So when salmon stocks eventually crash to the point where fishermen cannot catch salmon for their allotted tags - and hence their earnings go down, that's when the government will 'bow to the will of the people' and offer to buy out the fishermen.

If they were to offer the buy out now, they might have to pay ?80,000 per licence. Give it a year or two, and I'll bet the offer would be a lot lower than this. The rip-off Republic will strike again.

Bear in mind that your bumper sticker will mark you out as anti-drift net. It will not point out that you are all for commercial fishermen getting a realistic compensation to stop netting. Always keep in the back of your mind that commercial fishermen do not get paid to go fishing, they get paid if/when they catch fish. They have a living to make , kids to raise etc like most of the rest of us, and as such it's an uncertain living. Most of them are making no fortune, despite what you might hear to the contrary.

While most of them have other seasonal work, try going to a bank for a mortgage and quoting seasonal fisherman, future/income uncertain in the job title and annual earnings boxes and see how far you'll get.

So, the moral is, don't rub peoples nose in it. There are probably plenty of fishermen who know the stock is in difficulties and would like to stop, given some alternative. But if they throw in the towel now on general principles, or if drift nets were banned today, do you think the government will come along and compensate them in hindsight? Doubt it.
You have more chance of getting rid of or at least minimising drift netting by supporting fishermen by also campaigning for a fair deal (ie a reasonable buy-out scheme) for them than simply clamouring for drift nets to be banned.

a few months back i did a project on overfishing in school and included the stop drift nets now campaigne in it. found ot some amazing facts in mags and online. also had to send a letter to minister of tourism as part of it but got no reply.will email again.

Sandman,
I couldn't agree more with what you just said about the basic needs of our fishermen and that a realistic agreement will have to be reached for them to opt out of the fishery. A mortgage is a mortgage and needs paying whatever way you look at it.

Pete

Not that the present government intends to do anything to upset the status quo despite all the pressure from Europe, the latest National Salmon Commission has been announced. Given that the Minister can ignore the recommendations of this group, I'm not sure why some of them bother to turn up.....apart from the commercial interests.

Pat the Cope Announces New National Salmon Commission - DCMNR Press Release

Marine Minister, Pat the Cope Gallagher, T.D., today announced the appointment of the new National Salmon Commission and has confirmed the re-appointment of Mr. Joey Murrin as Chairman of the new Commission.

The National Salmon Commission (NSC) is a statutory body, which includes representatives of the commercial sector, the angling sector and other relevant stakeholders. It assists and advises the Minister in relation to the conservation, management, protection and development of the national salmon resource. It also makes recommendations to the Minister in relation to the management, development and conservation of stocks of wild salmon or sea trout, the tagging of such fish and the setting of a national total allowable catch and quotas for the taking of salmon, in consultation with the fisheries boards, the Marine Institute and other such bodies.

The first meeting of the new Salmon Commission is scheduled to take place on Tuesday next, 11th October, at the Depart ment's offices in Dublin. The Minister will be asking the Commission to examine all aspects of the Salmon issue, including any relevant reports as a part of their brief.

The members of the new National Salmon Commission are:

Mr. Joey Murrin, Director of Marine Institute (Chairman) Mr. Derick Anderson, C.E.O., Loughs Agency Mr. Luke Boyle, South East Salmon Federation Mr. Noel Carr, Federation of Irish Salmon & Sea Trout AnglersMr. Michael Connors, East/South East Netsmen Association & Irish Salmon Traditional Netsmen's Association Mr. Jim Curran, Donegal Angling Federation Mr. Brian Curran, Ireland West AnglingMr. Seamus De Burca, Cork Drift Net Association Mr. John Doherty, Irish Fishermen's Organisation, Irish Salmon Traditional Netsmen Association, Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op Society, Donegal Traditional Inshore Fishermen's Association Mr. Jerome Dowling, Kerry Anglers Federation Mr. Peter Dunn, The Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association Mr. Lal Faherty, National Anglers Representative AssociationMr. Frank Flanagan, Galway & Conemara Salmon Fishermen's AssociationMr. Richie Flynn, Irish Salmon Growers Association Mr. Peter Hunt, Clonbur, Co. GalwayMr. Michael Keating, B.I.M.Ms. Carmel Lynn, Traditional Draftnet Association Mr. Martin McEnroe, Salmon & Sea Trout Recreational Anglers of IrelandMr. John H O'Brien, Inisbofin, Co DonegalMr. Vincent Roche, C.E.O., North Western Regional Fisheries Board

* In addition to the above names, the Minister intends appointing a nominee from Failte Ireland, confirmation of whom will be announced at a later date.

Folks, just like to say thanks for all your support, I've been keeping tabs on the various fishing sites and just want to express our appreciation for the work that you are doing.

Regards

Albert
Stopnow.ie Webmaster
http://www.stopnow.ie