Make your voice heard with YOUR elected representatives

[x]

"Folks

For those of you who want to get writing to your elected representatives on an industrial scale (this list is all of members of Dail & Seanad bar about 3 members) this is the distribtion list to use - just copy and paste into the TO: line of your e-mail client. Our mate Pat the Cope's address is at the bottom of the list I'd CC him on the mail you're sending to the rest of the Dail & Seanad....just so he's under no illusion that this can be kept quiet. I've included a sample mail below the address list.

There are a couple of xxxx s in there - find and replace these with your own details - or write your own message - just stick to the facts. Every time you mail this list I suggest at least one per week - don't be a spammer and sit there sending it a hundred times a day please click the poll so we can see how often this is used. If you get a reply or replies click the poll once for each individual reply you get.


taoiseach@taoiseach.ie;
michael_ahern@entemp.ie;
noel.ahern@oireachtas.ie;
bernard.allen@oireachtas.ie;
bandrews@oireachas.ie;
sean@ardagh.org;
liam.aylward@agriculture.gov.ie;
dboyle@oireachtas.ie;
johnny.brady@oireachtas.ie;
martin.brady@oireachtas.ie;
pat.breen@oireachtas.ie;
minister@transport.ie;
seamus.brennan@oireachtas.ie;
thomas_p_broughan@oireachtas.ie;
john.browne_ff@oireachtas.ie;
john.bruton@oireachtas.ie;
richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie;
joan.burton@oireachtas.ie;
ivor.callely@oireachtas.ie;
pat.carey@oireachtas.ie;
john.carty@oireachtas.ie;
paudge.connolly@oireachtas.ie;
b.cooper_Flynn@oireachtas.ie;
joe.costello@oireachtas.ie;
minister@welfare.ie;
simon.coveney@oireachtas.ie;
brian.cowen@oireachtas.ie;
jerry.cowley@oireachtas.ie;
j.cregan@oireachtas.irlgov.ie;
sean.crowe@oireachtas.ie;
ccuffe@oireachtas.ie;
martin.cullen@finance.irlgov.ie;
john.curran@oireachtas.ie;
jdeenihan@eircom.net;
webmaster@dcmnr.gov.ie;
noel.dempsey@oireachtas.ie;
jimmy.devins@oireachtas.ie;
bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie;
john.ellis@oireachtas.ie;
denglish@oireachtas.ie;
minister@marine.irlgov.ie;
michael.finneran@oireachtas.ie;
dermot.fitzpatrick@oireachtas.ie;
sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie;
mildred_fox@oireachtas.irlgov.ie;
eamon.gilmore@oireachtas.ie;
jim.glennon@oireachtas.ie;
pgogarty@oireachtas.ie;
johngormley@eircom.net;
tony.gregory@oireachtas.ie;
minister.hanafin@taoiseach.ie;
sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie;
seamus.healy@oireachtas.ie;
joe.higgins@oireachtas.ie;
michael.higgins@oireachtas.ie;
philip.hogan@oireachtas.ie;
brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie;
joe.jacob@oireachtas.ie;
paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie;
enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie;
tony.killeen@oireachtas.ie;
tom.kitt@iveagh.gov.ie;
tom.kitt@oireachtas.ie;
brian.lenihan@oireachtas.ie;
conor.lenihan@oireachtas.ie;
kathleen.lynch@oireachtas.ie;
james_mcdaid@oireachtas.ie;
minister@justice.ie;
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie;
liz.mcmanus@oireachtas.ie;
micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie;
gay.mitchell@oireachtas.ie;
olivia.mitchell@oireachtas.ie;
michael@michaelmoynihantd.ie;
michael.mulcahy@oireachtas.ie;
denis.naughten@oireachtas.ie;
daniel.neville@oireachtas.ie;
mj.nolan@oireachas.ie;
michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie;
ocaolain@oireachtas.ie;
coconnor@oireachtas.ie;
aire@pobail.ie;
liz.odonnell@oireachtas.ie;
ministersoffice@dast.gov.ie;
denis.odonovan@oireachtas.ie;
roryohanlon@oireachtas.ie;
fomalley@oireachtas.ie;
brian.oshea@oireachtas.ie;
aosnodaigh@oireachtas.ie;
jan.osullivan@oireachtas.ie;
tom_parlon@finance.gov.ie;
seamus.pattison@oireachtas.ie;
john.perry@oireachtas.ie;
ppower@oireachtas.ie;
ruairi.quinn@oireachtas.ie;
pat.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie;
michael.ring@oireachtas.ie;
dick.roche@oireachtas.ie;
eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie;
eoin.ryan@oireachtas.ie;
sean.ryan@oireachtas.ie;
trevor.sargent@oireachtas.ie;
roisin.shortall@oireachtas.ie;
brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie;
emmet.stagg@oireachtas.ie;
david.stanton@oireachtas.ie;
billy.timmins@oireachtas.ie;
mary.upton@oireachtas.ie;
mary.wallace@oireachtas.ie;
minister@agriculture.gov.ie;
michael.woods@oireachtas.ie;
gv.wright@oireachtas.ie;
james.bannon@oireachtas.ie;
office@ejbohan.com;
pbradford@eircom.net;
cbrady@oireachtas.ie;
fergal.browne@oireachtas.ie;
paddy.burke@oireachtas.ie;
noel.coonan@oireachtas.ie;
margaret.cox@oireachtas.ie;
maurice.cummins@oireachtas.ie;
brendan.daly@oireachtas.ie;
john.dardis@oireachtas.ie;
timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie;
geraldine.feeney@oireachtas.ie;
frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie;
liam.fitzgerald@oireachtas.ie;
jim.gibbons@oireachtas.ie;
jhanafin@oireachtas.ie;
brian.hayes@oireachtas.ie;
mary.henry@oireachtas.ie;
jim.higgins@oireachtas.irlgov.ie;
brendan.kenneally@oireachtas.irlgov.ie;
rory.kiely@oireachtas.ie;
michael.kitt@oireachtas.ie;
terry.leyden@oireachtas.ie;
don.lydon@oireachtas.ie;
michael.mccarthy@oireachtas.ie;
derek.mcdowell@oireachtas.ie;
mmacsharry@oireachtas.ie;
mmansergh@oireachtas.ie;
jminihan@oireachtas.ie;
david.norris@oireachtas.ie;
joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie;
labhras.omurchu@oireachtas.ie;
ann.ormonde@oireachtas.ie;
mary.o'rourke@oireachtas.ie;
jotoole@oireachtas.ie;
kieran.phelan@oireachtas.ie;
himself@feargalquinn.ie;
shane.ross@oireachtas.ie;
brendan.ryan@oireachtas.ie;
sheila.terry@oireachtas.ie;
joanna.tuffy@oireachtas.ie;
jim.walsh@oireachtas.ie;
kate.walsh@oireachtas.ie;
mwhite@oireachtas.ie;
diarmuid.wilson@oireachtas.ie;


webmaster@dcmnr.gov.ie


Dear Sir/Madam

I write to bring to your attention the growing dissatisfaction among recreational sea anglers (RSAs) and indeed fresh-water anglers with current Irish government and European policies regarding the utilisation and protection of our dwindling fish stocks.

For many years now we have watched our right of access to our fish stocks bartered away at the request of our European partners and our voice as a group ignored in favour of the interests of the domestic fishing lobby. Indeed little has been done to protect and enhance our inland waterways which are both a vital piece of our environment and the basis of a significant amount of our tourism.

We have long been a voice for conservation and reason in these areas among others. Many of us have been RSAs for many years and have watched in mounting horror as successive governments have allowed the wholesale decimation of our fish stocks and systematically permitted and indeed actively assisted in the virtual annihilation of a number of species.

It has probably come to your notice that there is an increasingly vocal campaign to have drift netting for salmon stopped completely spearheaded by the Stop Salmon Drift Nets Now (SSDNN) group a not-for-profit organisation. I encourage you to visit their web site at http://www.stopnow.ie and read of their concerns in detail for yourself.

This is by no means the extent of the concerns of anglers thousands of them all over this country. Indeed in the case of the salmon this is of growing concern to Scottish Welsh and English anglers and those whose livelihood depends on angling tourism as well.

Similarly the fate of bass in both UK and Irish waters depends on the actions of all not just one country. More information on this topic can be found at http://www.ukbass.com. We are already a good example to the world in this country for our measures and indeed actions to protect and restore our bass stocks.

Many other species most notably cod are also under severe pressure from overfishing by commercial netters. It appears that in the face of all available scientific evidence and advice that quotas and total allowable catches are far too high to be sustainable yet we have whitefish fleet renewal programmes to build more bigger and more effective vessels which will put increased pressure on the cod and other species.

We are also seriously concerned about the paucity of resources and legislative powers to protect our fish stocks. We need more transparency and accountability for vessels both domestic and foreign who fish our waters. We urge you to consider an increase in the numbers of fishery protection staff and vessels and other resources. Indeed many anglers if you follow the angling press have reported incidents of poaching only to be told that there is no evening and weekend patrols on our inland waterways. In light of the increasing volume of poaching by foreign nationals who are well aware of this lack we feel that the protection of our waters must be on a 24/7/365 basis. In what other sporting activity I put to you are there already thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - of volunteers abroad at all hours of the day and night ready to assist in the protection of fish stocks and the environment?

The practices of many commercial fishermen again both domestic and foreign are truly abhorrent. In particular the use of mono and multi-filament static gill nets which indiscriminately catch any species whether of commercial value or otherwise. This results in a large by-catch which is dumped overboard dead to rot at sea. Worse still the practice by foreign gill net vessels particularly but not limited to the Spanish and Portugese fleets of leaving their gill nets in Irish waters while the return home to land their catch. On their return when they retrieve their nets most of the catch in those nets is unfit for human consumption and dumped - all to save a little time on the round trip by not carrying the additional weight of their fishing gear. Furthermore their practice of repairing these nets at sea cutting away and dumping overboard the miles of non bio-degradable netting retaining only the ropes means that there are now many miles of netting ensnaring fish uselessly and will continue to do so for hundreds of years. Many of our commercial trawling fleet will trawl close inshore seeking to scrape up what few fish may be seeking a last refuge there. These vessels know that they do wrong hiding as they do their registration details running at night without navigation lights in the hope that none will notice them.

Until recently most people outside the sport were unaware of the value of angling. The benefits to the Irish economy was recently estimated at ?55 million annually. The tourism industry in particular stands to lose with the associated job losses as foreign anglers increasingly see Ireland as a less desirable destination for trout and salmon angling due to the damage caused to fish stocks by drift nets - upon which the vast bulk of the figure quoted above is based - our inland waterways are under steady attack from pollution and poaching not to mention other ills which we need resources to tackle such as the infestations of zebra mussels and various non-native water plant species.

The above figure I feel does not take account of the value of domestic anglers to the economy of this country. Certainly I have never been asked how much I spend by any group who has compiled and published figures. At a conservative estimate for the last 12 months I personally have spent well over ?xxxx in angling related activity in this country. I'm sure that many many of my thousands of fellow anglers have spent similar amounts. Yet our contribution to this country cannot be counted merely in financial terms but affects hotels and other accommodation providers charter boats chandlers tackle and bait dealers - the list is too long to complete here.

You may not be aware that most anglers are keen conservationists. We practice this in the hope that the fish stocks we pursue will survive for our descendants. Many of us are in a position to observe and report the abuses of fish stocks and the environment - which we do. The lack of resources to pursue and prosecute offenders in any meaningful way is heartbreaking. Nevertheless we encourage our children to take an interest in the sport teaching them respect for their environment showing them that there is more to life and recreation than hanging about street corners or watching television - or worse.

We feel as a group that we have much to bring to the table in the development of future fishing policy environmental protection and conservation but are denied a voice. I appeal to you to be that voice. There are many thousands of anglers nationally in various angling clubs keen to support anyone who will raise our concerns to the levels of government where notice will be given action taken.
Our suggestions to reduce pressure on our fishing stocks and give a voice to anglers are:-

1) A total ban on use or sale of mono and multi-monofilament gill and drift nets.
2) A ban on trawling within 6 mile limit.
3) No netting of any description within 1 mile of the low water mark.
4) Creation of and an increase in the protection for spawning / nursery areas.
5) Closed seasons to protect spawning fish.
6) Involve angling groups like the IFSA in consultation processes.
7) Commission a full survey of all recreational anglers to determine our economic input.
8 ) Increase minimum sizes and reduce quotas for commercially exploited species.
9) Increased fishery protection resources.
10) Much tighter oversight of domestic and foreign vessels as regards landings gear etc
11) An end to the practices of marine dumping and aggregate extraction.

Please visit our club web site at http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org. We're a recent development in terms of angling clubs there are many more in this country who have been active for years. Familiarise yourself with the domestic and UK angling press. Common periodicals include Irish Angler Irish Angler's Digest Sea Angler and Total Sea Fishing. The same issues face anglers in the UK and Ireland - the difference is that in the UK angling is recognised and has political recognition for the size of it's membership and the potential for votes tourism and other revenue it represents.

Should you require further information on any of the issues I?ve touched on here please feel free to ask. If you would like to meet at a time of your convenience to discuss these issues further I would be please to take the opportunity to meet with you.

Yours Sincerely

xxxx (<--add your name)
I.F.S.A membership number: xxxx
S.A.C.N membership number: xxxx
Supporter of:http://www.stopnow.ie
http://www.ukbass.com
Regular contributer to: http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org"

[Bigbill.]

The Northern Ireland minister responsible for Environment is Lord Rooker. His e-mail address is

private.office@doeni.gov.uk

He is also responsible for Fisheries.

private.office@dardni.gov.uk

I've e-mailed him and Pat Gallagher.
Btw whats "the cope" bit about?

Bill

[x]

A regional nickname, common practice in Donegal where every third bu**er is either Boyle, Gallagher or O'Donnell....helps to differentiate 'em.
Usually based on the family's historical line of business - so you're likely to see Mickey 'the tailor' O'Donnell and the likes.

All I can say is it's a good job for him his family wasn't known locally for sheep rustling. Wouldn't have helped the political career at all, at all....

Good link for the NI email contacts, btw. I hadn't got around to digging those out yet.

[x]

Ok, I've sent mails myself now, despite my mail server's annoying happit of limiting you to 100 recipients per message. There are 163 address on that list - so you'll have to split the recipients into two groups or put half of then in the CC line if you have the same problem.

So far, about 5 messages have bounced due to either address problems (spelling and/or syntax) or mail server not having the recipient listed. I'll give it an hour or so then edit the email address list when I see what other addresses fail. I'll post to this thread when I update the list.

[x]

Just got the following replies:

Dear Mr. Boyle,

Thank you for your email. As Deputy Sargent is on holidays, Eamon Ryan
T.D. will be able to respond as Green Party Spokesperson on the Marine.

Yours
Madeleine Farrelly
Secretary

++++++++++++++++


Dear Mr Boyle,

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mail regarding recreational sea angling.

As the Minister of State, Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., has responsibility for Marine matters, your letter has now been forwarded to his office and he will be in contact with you shortly.

Please direct any further correspondence on this matter to Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., Minister of State, Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, or by e-mail to minister.gallagher@dcmnr.gov.ie

Yours sincerely,

Carina O'Donoghue
Private Secretary to Minister Noel Dempsey T.D.
Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources


++++++++++

Getting further replies, some saying that whoever is on holidays until xyz etc. Most of them make the point that the mail should be addressed to the Dept of the Marine. But if nothing else, it shows that the messages are getting through. And if most of the recipients forward the messages to Pat the Cope, well, his inbox will be very busy. And that's just from my message. If everyone on this forum did the same, I think they'd start to spot a bit of a pattern developing.

[Adrian]

Dear Mr Boyle,

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mail regarding recreational sea angling.

As the Minister of State, Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., has responsibility for Marine matters, your letter has now been forwarded to his office and he will be in contact with you shortly.

Please direct any further correspondence on this matter to Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., Minister of State, Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, or by e-mail to minister.gallagher@dcmnr.gov.ie

Yours sincerely,

Carina O'Donoghue

I got the exact same reply, word for word in fact (Except the Mr Boyle bit).

[x]

Yup, thus Pat the cope will be getting another mail forwarded to him. Not a bad thing, I think. And if it annoys everyone to the extent I hope - having to redirect mail to him - hopefully a few of them wil read it and might start talking about why the anglers hopped out of their box all of a sudden....

[x]

And then I get this:

+++++++++++++++

Pat

I was very pleased to receive your email this morning outlining your concerns regarding the fishery policies that a succession of governments have pursued in recent years. We have being trying to raise the unsustainable nature of these policies and to suggest conservation measures that might help in that regard. I hope that we can provide a voice for anglers that are indeed the best conservation eyes and ears on our waters.

I am very aware of the 'stopnow' campaign and the good work that they do and I would like to similar campaign groups working on other areas of marine conservation which seem to get less attention.

I have attached a sample below of some of the press releases that we have put out in the last six months to give you an idea of what we have being saying on the same issues.

I would like to have the chance of meeting representatives from your association so that we can discuss in more detail some of the practical measures that you have outlined in the latter part of your email. Perhaps you could arrange for someone from your association to give my office a call if such a meeting might be possibile.


regards

Eamon Ryan TD (Green Party, Dublin South)

++++++++++

So, I'd be happy to meet with him at some point. Anyone else interested?
Anyone else sending letters/emails? Any responses?

The bank holiday is over lads, get the thumbs out!

[Tanglerat]

Fine work, Sandman.

Are we an Association yet? We'll have to have a think about that. If we declare ourselves the International Wing of SACN, we might be able to persuade Leon or another Worthy to come over to help us in the meeting..... have to cough up some expenses for them though!

I reckon our basic motto should be: "Bigger Fish, and More of Them".

In the meeting, the overall point we should be hammering home is that the Sea is a finite and national resource, we (anglers, divers, everybody) should all be recognised as Stakeholders; and it is not the exclusive property of Commercial Fishermen to plunder and drive stocks into extinction.

or summat like that......

[x]

I've updated the email address list in my post above. So, if you have not so far sent mails, please get sending.

It'll be a pretty poor reflection on the club and on angling in Ireland in general if only 3 or 4 anglers care enough about conservation and a future for the sport to send an email.

[Leon Roskilly]

Fine work, Sandman.

Are we an Association yet? We'll have to have a think about that. If we declare ourselves the International Wing of SACN, .

I'm pleased to say that Sandman has agreed to become the SACN Regional Co-ordinator for Ireland :)

That means that he is going to want help and support, rather than everything being left to him!


Tight Lines - leon

[frodo baggins]

oops forgot to tick the box til now!......
i dunno if i should say congratulations, or thank you sandman. but i'm definitely behind you on this one, and willing to do whatever is needed.

Patrick

[x]

Another positive response to my mail:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Pat,

Thank you very much for sending me on the information about the difficult
situation in terms of angling and salmon drift nets etc. I am putting down
a motion in the Senate about this matter and look forward to further
discussions with you if and when it arises formally in the Senate.

With best wishes and thanks
David Norris

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It'll help if we can turn around and say when asked that x number of anglers exist and actively support conservation by practicing this in the field (sounds better than 'practice this in the sea') and have actively campaigned by letter writing. Please send a mail to support the future of angling - if anglers are not seen to be standing up to be counted now, we will have little credibility or clout in the future.

As regards the position of SACN Regional Co-ordinator (Ireland) a few people have asked what this covers geographically. Unless I hear different, I'm taking it to mean Ireland as in 32 counties, fish being little worried by political or geograhical boundaries.

[pete]

Fair play to you Sandman for taking the effort to harry the politicians. Keep up the good work fella.

Pete

[frodo baggins]

don't know if any of ye have heard from this guy, but at least he took the time to respond, and show some interest.

Dear Patrick

I share your concerns and have myself made strong representations on behalf of SSDNN to Minister Pat the Cope Gallagher. Good luck with your efforts.

Is mise le meas

Michael Moynihan


at least we're getting replies, anf that someone is listening.

have a pile of other emails shaking me off, so and so is on holidays, or your email has been forwarded to the cope. as sandman pointed out though, the guy will be driven nuts by forwarded emails from the lads around the office. might provoke a reply to try and shut us up.

[x]

Just received a copy of the above as well. I've had quite a few replies, and most politicians appear to be well aware of SSDNN and the whole drift net issue, but most make no reference to recreational angling.

While I'm delighted to help SSDNN, I'm concerned that that was the only bit of my message that jumped out at anyone reading it.

I think future messages will definitely have to be cut down to one issue like abolition of gill nets, protection of wrecks or keeping the trawlers out etc and come exclusively from the point of view and on behalf of recerational sea anglers.

[x]

Another one of the more positive positives...


Dear Pat Boyle,

Many thanks for your e-mail, which I found very educational. ?I am afraid I don't have experience of angling!

Pat, Senator David Norris has proposed a Motion on the issues you raise and I have seconded it.

Wishing you every success,

Feargal Quinn


I have been invited to meet with a couple of politicians to flesh out the issues in the e-mail I sent and to present, I hope, a case for recognition of the sea angling interest.

Anyone with any suggestions or input, feel free to post on the forum on this thread or PM me if you wish.

[x]

Got this this morning.

Dear Mr Boyle

I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence forwarded from Mr Martin Cullen T.D.

Concerning recreational sea angling.

I will bring your E.Mail to the Minister?s attention.

Yours sincerely
Owen Duffy
Private Secretary to:
Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D.
Marine Minister

[x]

I seem to be getting a steady stream of replies to my last mailing. I guess the reason that replies are still trickling in is the fact that it's holiday time. Must have about 50 odds at this stage.

A few respondents are keen to meet or to get further information so I'm trying to put some stuff together for that. Any input welcome, as always.

[Chris Mc]

I have recieved some replies but the usual. I acknowledge receipt of your E-Mail and will forward it to the minister responsible. Yadda yadda.