Make your voice heard with YOUR elected representatives

Any replies are good. I keep sending them, as do a number of other people. We mostly get the boilerplate resonse about forwarding to the relevant body, but at least we're trying.

This way, even if all you get is a very terse response, when the questions start to be asked about if anglers have ever even tried to get recognition as stakeholders in the marine environment, you can produce your answer and say that the powers that be were made aware. By you. You have proof.

It'll make it much more difficult for Ministers like Pat the Cope to ignore anglers in the future - like the next time Joe Borg comes here to meet marine stakeholders.

It's unfortunate that comparatively few anglers actually try to make any difference and that unlike the UK, our fisheries minister places no importance on angling from a socail or economic viewpoint. We are at best a nuisance - griping on as some of us do about the state of fish stocks etc.

It's testament to the fact that there is something very, very wrong with the commercial fishing industry that if you visit somewhere like Pat the Cope's part of the world, (Burtonport, Co Donegal) you'll find hardly a fishing boat. Up the road in the local shop, you can buy postcards that show the harbour full of boats - albeit 30 years ago. Why have the boats gone? They caught all the fish that were economic to catch long ago.

And so we have a whole government department dedicated to wringing more and more of the diminishing fish stocks for 'our' fishermen, while our fellow Europeans do the same for their's.

At least if you write and complain now, they can't later turn round and say they didn't know.

find below the two most promising replies at least it looks like they read the letter.

Dear Chris,

I wish to thank you for your letter concerning the protection of Irish fish
stocks and the effects of drift netting.

I read your most articulate letter with great interest and will endeavour
to keep your views in mind as we grapple with this issue.

Please do not hesitate to contact me further with regard to this most
important issue.

Regards,

Senator Marc Mac Sharry


_____________________________________________________


Dear Chris,

Thank you for your email regarding the problems facing anglers in Ireland, and internationally, today. It is certainly a grave situation, and one which merits attention.

I note the ten suggestions you make at the end of your email, and I would like to let you and your fellow RSAs know that I support you in these objectives.

With best regards,

RUAIRI



Ruairi Quinn TD
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
01 618 3434
ruairi.quinn@oireachtas.ie
http://www.ruairiquinn.ie

Here are a couple of replies I received from a couple of T.D.'s:


Dear Mr. Devlin

Mr. Seamus Brennan T.D., Minister for Social Affairs has asked me
to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mail and to advise you
that the matter you refer to is proper to the Department of
Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

In this regard you should contact Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., Minister
for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Adelaide Road,
Dublin 2.

Yours sincerely



Paula Hanbury
Minister's Office

********************************

Dear Mr Devlin, I wish to acknowledge your recent correspondence. As the Minister of State Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., has responsibility for Marine matters, your letter has been forwarded to his office. 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 Mr Noel Dempsey T.D. Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
Dear John I wish to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mail to Minister Killeen. I will bring your correspondence to the Minister's attention at the earliest opportunity. Susan McNamee Minister Killeen's Office Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment

IVOR CALLELY T.D.

**************************

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail.
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant Division of the Department
for attention. However, if your request is not relevant to the work of the
Department of Transport, my Department shall be in contact with you over the
next few days.
It is my Department's policy to provide a reply as soon as possible or
within 12 working days. If this is not possible, we will send you an interim
reply explaining the position.
Ivor Callely T.D.
Minister of State

*******************
Dear Mr. Devlin, Thank you for your email. I see that you have included Eamon Ryan T.D. in the circulation list. Deputy Ryan is dealing with this under his portfolio as Green Party Spokesperson on The Marine and he will respond to you on behalf of the Party. Le gach dea-ghui, TREVOR SARGENT T.D. Leader, Green Party/Comhaontas Glas

*******************

Dear John,

Thank you for your email regarding the problems facing anglers in Ireland, and internationally, today. It is certainly a grave situation, and one which merits attention.

I note the ten suggestions you make at the end of your email, and I would like to let you and your fellow RSAs know that I support you in these objectives.

With best regards,

RUAIRI



Ruairi Quinn TD
Minister of State

******************

Dear Mr Devlin Many thanks for your communication which I have noted with interest. regards Charlie O'Connor TD


*********************


John,

I just wish to acknowledge your email and I certainly share your concerns
about dwindling fish stocks.

However, I have taken the liberty of forwarding your email to the Fine Gael
Spokesperson on Marine for his consideration.


Yours sincerely,

Olivia Mitchell TD
Fine Gael Spokesperson on Transport.

*******************

Dear John,

Thank you for your detailed email which I read with interest. You will, I am sure, be aware of the Labour Party's specific and direct policy in the area of drift netting etc. for salmon, which was developed by our spokesperson Tommy Broughan T.D.

I have referred your email to Tommy for his more detailed examination.
Regards,
Yours sincerely

Liz McManus, TD
Deputy Leader and Spokesperson on Health

******************

Dear John, Thank you very much for your e-mail. I will forward this to our Spokesperson for the Marine, Mr. John Perry T.D. for his comments. With kind regards, Yours sincerely, MICHAEL RING T.D.
Dear John, I refer to your recent email regarding the dissatisfactionn among anglers and your proposals to deal with the issue. I found this to be very informative and I will use this during my contributions both inside and outside the Dail Chamber. You may be assured of my continued support and I will keep you informed of developments. Yours sincerely, SEAN RYAN, T.D.

John,

many thanks for your email. The issue of salmon and commercial net fishing is very important and I am preparing a policy document on the issue at the moment.


Ireland's salmon stocks are dangerously low.
Unless action is taken now, we risk losing a vitally important economic and environmental asset.

As an island nation we must respect and protect our maritime habitat. The ideal we must strive for is a sustainable and profitable future.

Our salmon stocks have been in serious decline for many years, but the current Government has consistently resisted taking action to save this valuable natural resource.

Developmental and scientific advice has been consistently ignored. Earlier this year the Marine Minister set salmon quotas almost 40 per cent higher than scientific advice recommended.

The Marine Institute, the Central Fisheries Board, international agencies and tourism boards have all called for a change away from the current management of salmon stocks. The common factor in all scientific advice involves a decrease in the numbers who use commercial nets to fish for salmon. Fine Gael believes this cannot be ignored.

The continued practice of drift and draft netting has had a negative impact on Ireland's reputation as a tourism-angling destination. Figures from Fáilte Ireland show that the number of game angling tourists has declined dramatically in the last five to ten years. The main reason for this decline is dissatisfaction with the lack of fish available.

The nature of the current Irish regime of mixed-stock salmon management means that fish destined for rivers in one part of Ireland, or abroad, can be caught at sea by netsmen far away from their spawning grounds.

Not only is our reputation as an angling destination being destroyed, but our practice is also inhibiting the conservation efforts of our neighbours.

As I said, I am currently working on a policy document on this issue, which will be published in the coming weeks.
Thank you again for your email.
Please don't hesitate to contact me in the future on this, or any other issue.
Regards,
John Perry TD

got a reply from noel demseys secretary that they are passing it onto pat the cope

great

got another reply from michael moynihan saying he is to pass it onto the cope

Every letter sent helps push the issues. Every time another politician forwards your message to Pat the cope, that's two who are aware that people out here want action.

Keep up the good work!

John conroy, martin cullens secretary said he was going to pass it on to pat

ps how do you vote to register if you got a reply

you set tis up a while ago maybe your not too pushed on the counting now?

BR

A problem with Polls is if you vote once, you can't again. hadn't though of that. We've had shedloads of people sending stuff and getting dozens of replies each, but the poll will not allow these to be logged. I'll get around to taking it off sometime.

well sandman + co

got a reply from Dairearca Ní Néill, O cuivs secretary, saying the mail has been brought to his attention :!:

mullah mc dowells secretary is goin to send it on to the marines

minister dempseys office is passing it on

im after getting a pdf copy of the letter sent from minister of justice equality and law reform to dempseys office and on to pat the cope gallagher

mary couglan has also forwarded it on

each of these offices i have gotten in touch with have sent it on with reference records

surprised at the amount of replies but it was a very good letter!

BR