interesting IFI poll

for those of you who are members of facebook, please have a look and cast a vote in a poll that has appeared on the inland fisheries ireland page asking whether ALL angling in ireland should be catch and release;

http://www.facebook.com/inlandfisheriesireland

thanks

LMAO at that poll....... Sorry for the comment but are they going to make the boats catch and release...

Maybe they should actully get the IFI in order before they start thinking they can change the world...

They can bearly handle their work load already so what are they thinking about here???

No it should not be C&R only...

it is a bit of a mad one alright......

I assume this is mainly aimed at freshwater anglers despite the reference to sea anglers being able to kill fish for bait. Why do people keep spouting this idiotic viewpoint that catch and release will help protect fish stocks? A few exceptions aside, anglers have absolutely no effect at all on fish stocks. Nonsense poll!

I can only assume it was someone who knows nothing about fishing that put these questions together. Anything caught on a hook must be released? totally idiotic.
The IFI do themselves no favours when they put a poll like this together.

Catch and release is the trend at the minute, and it is great that anglers are realising that this should be the way forward, however, we must not lose sight that some anglers wish to eat a fish, as is their right, and should be allowed to.
I would vote on tougher penalties, heavier fines and better controls. As it is with all the laws, rules and regulations, they only work when they are policed and - even more important, enforced. We need more lads on the ground to support the fish-take limits, and massive penalties to act as a deterrent to those intent on breaking the law.
A total ban is utter nonsense and would most certainly be suicidal to our already declining angling tourism sector.
Furthermore, the treehugger brigade would make the case that all recreational anglers are now only fishing for the pleasure of sticking a hook into an animal, whereas, by taking a fish for the pot, it is all humans God given right to do so.

I am a firm believer in Catch & Release.
While I don't think total Catch & Release across the board would work or go down well I do firmly believe that the more we all practive Catch & Release the healthier fish stocks will be.

I very rarely keep fish. That's my choice. I love to eat fish but I love the actual sport of fishing much more. Therefore I prefer to think and act in ways that will support the sport of angling.

It's a little bit naive to suggest that anglers don't make any impact on fish stocks at all - of course we do. It's very basic maths. The more fish we anglers keep for the table, the less fish we anglers leave in the water.

Tight lines,
John D.