Salmon Drift Netters.

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Salmon Drift Netters.

Postby gowerray » Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:29 pm

Major row brewing here in Wales. Let's hope it gets the result needed.
BBC Wales report here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4130816.stm
gowerray
 

Postby Leon Roskilly » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:59 am

From this week's Fishing News

EU Move on driftnets

"Irish government sources are expecting contact from the EU Fisheries Commission about the continuing use of driftnets by Irish fishermen to catch salmon.

This is predicted following pressure from other countries for EU action against Ireland.

These have come particularly from Britain but also from domestic organisations in Ireland that are opposed to the use of drifnets.

Indications are that a 'letter of formal notice' is being drafted in Brussels claiming that Ireland is not meeting the requirements under the Habitats Directive because catch quotas set by the Department of the Marine are putting in jeapordy the conservation of salmon"


'Domestic Organisations' !! :)

Keep the letters rolling and the pot boiling.

Tight Lines - leon
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Postby Leon Roskilly » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:07 pm

Please see:

[url]http://www.anglingnews.co.uk/rep_detail.asp?ID=3806[/url]

Tight Lines - leon
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Postby Leon Roskilly » Sat Sep 24, 2005 7:21 pm

Dear Angler,

Attached is a poster giving details of our Rally in Killarney. This is a very important event as it gives you and your friends the opportunity to become directly involved in the process of bringing about the END of DRIFT NETTING for Wild Irish Salmon. This should be an historic occasion in Angling History as ALL of the FERERATIONS will be united under the Stop Now Banner and calling with one voice for an END to DRIFT NETTING.

We in Stop Now have worked tirelessly on your behalf at a political level, both in Ireland and in Brussels since our formation fifteen months ago. A result of our efforts at Brussels level, which we visited four times to reinforce our case with both DG Environment and DG Fish, has been the issuing of a Letter of Formal Notice to the Irish Government, in the last few weeks. This requires the Government to justify their Salmon management policies to the satisfaction of Brussels, otherwise they face a hearing in the European Court.

At home an extensive campaign of meetings has taken place with, all parties involved, Politicians both local and national, Scientists, Fishery Board Managers, Netsmen, Civil Servants and of course the Media. We know that we have been quite successful in keeping the issue live and relevant over the past year. The Joint Oireachtas Hearing in which we played a major part will issue its findings very soon. We need to be prepared for that event.
The time for informing is now nearly past, everybody now accepts that the Salmon are in difficulty. Now we need to show that we are serious and determined to achieve our aim. The next step in this process is our RALLY.

Feel free to contact me at any time if you need further information.
BE THERE AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS

Vincent Duigan
CampaignManager
SSDN
Bullock Pk
Carlow

KILLARNEY RALLY

MASS LOBBY OF FIANNA FAIL ARD FHEIS SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2005KILLARNEY CO.KERRY

ASSEMBLE AT THE GROTTO, ADJACENT TO THE KILLARNEY BYPASS ROAD, AT 1.30PM


SPEAKERS WILL ADDRESS THE RALLY AT 1.30PM

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN OUR CAMPAIGN TO
END DRIFT NETTING.

BE THERE.

HIRE A BUS AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT VINCENT DUIGAN AT 086 334 0898
vincentduigan@eircom.net
AND OUR WEBSITE http://WWW.STOPNOW.IE
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Postby x » Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:56 am

In response to my last mailshot to our elected representatives (they're all just back from their Summer recess) I got this yesterday. It does offer a couple of possible solutions, which is good, but no undertaking to stop drift netting altogether. It also, in my opinion, has done as I feared and put a very low estimate on the value of a licence based on previous tag returns so a buyout figure will probably be very low, likely to result in a very poor uptake of a voluntary buyout.....

Am I the only one who believes in the principle that you reward people after the act, rather than elect and hope?

Fine Gael?s Marine Spokesperson Deputy John Perry has given a commitment that Fine Gael in Government will put in place a voluntary buy-out and a voluntary three year set-aside of drift and draft-net licences.

Deputy Perry says, ?This Government has overseen the destruction of our valuable salmon resource and has allowed the tourism industry and our international reputation to suffer terribly.

?This needs to be stopped. The solution is with a change of Government.

?A voluntary buy out and set aside scheme over a period of three years would be of significant benefit to stocks.

?A buy out would mean a permanent cessation of fishing and a reduction in the number of licences.

?A set aside would mean that a licence holder would contract not to fish his licence for 3 years. There would be an annual payment or a once off payment with this contract. The licence holder would be free to resume fishing at the end of the contract period.

?This would then result in a reduction in the overall quota available. This would be calculated as a percentage of each licence that accepted a buy out or set aside. The percentage reduction would be permanent with regard to the buy out and temporary with regard to the set aside scheme.

?As the quota will be reduced by a proportion for each licence that exits, stocks will increase.

?There are approximately 850 drift-net fishermen in Ireland. In 2004 36% of the fishermen caught 58% of the catch.

?This means that approximately 500 fishermen out of 850 caught less than 100 fish and earned less than ?1,000.

?With regard to draft-net fishing the bulk of fishermen caught less than 50 fish and earned less than ?500.


?The vast majority of drift and draft-net fishermen would like the option of a buy out or set aside. There are simply not enough salmon available for fishermen to make a profit from drift-netting.

?Our wild salmon resource is a national asset and we need a Government, which will impose measures to halt the rapid decline of the species.

?We need to conserve and protect this species. While we must be able to exploit salmon as resource, levels of salmon in Irish waters have dropped so substantially that we are now facing a very real risk of losing this resource forever.

?Angling visitor numbers have dropped by 50% in the last six years. This is having disastrous consequences on communities who rely heavily on angling tourism.

?We need to send out strong signals to salmon anglers internationally that we do take our salmon seriously. This Fianna F?il led Government will forever have the legacy of standing by while our salmon levels dropped to severely low levels.

?Fine Gael in Government would put in place policy, which will help drift and draft netsmen, as well as the economy, native anglers, foreign anglers, and tourism interests. We are taking this issue seriously. A vital and historic natural resource and many people?s livelihoods are on the line.?
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