protection

FORGET WHAT WE HAD- WHAT CAN WE DO-most of the worst tradgies in the world are caused by man and our depletion in stocks is no different a tragedy.i don't tend on being down beat but there's a time for hooks an line talk and a time for a reality check. in my experiences of the angling majority people are too busy with catching , and these are the same people i meet who nag on about not catching.in my area the bass population in the late eighties was exceptional , these fish were decimated and remnants of the fish was all remained up until 2001.the reason was simple# they were neeted to almost distinction in the bay.the netsmen stopped fishing then and the anglers quietly followed suit.i continued to fish through the ninetys and addmittidly killed a couple of bass,but in 01' the shoals of good size fish returned(3-5ibs) with plenty of larger fish reported also. it was great all the old anglers were back on the beach along with lots of new faces. angling was sociable again and the craic was great.but the old rivals popped up there ugly heads AGAIN and yes u've guessed, it the fishing has really been knocked back.most of the lads were so dissapointed with last year the hardly bothered at all this season. there still netting the remaining few fish.a good pal of mine fished clonea beach (dungarvan is the area by the way) on sunday and seen nets anchored there.the fisheries board are non-existant in my mind because in ringing them u'll get a voice mail.the bailifs are under resorced big time and nothing is being done about this. alot of anglers just moan about it and pack the rods away.i meet men on the rivers complaining about the salmon and trout and most of whom did't bother attending the salmon rally then in killarney. i know that large amounts of salmon were killed at sea after the season ended from helvic to ballycotton,how can they NOT be caught.is there a possibility of the age old fisheries corruption coming into play.2 officers were convicted in the south east before, i can't come up with any alternative.as underresorced as they are the can't be that incompitant. the bass ,salmon , trout and many other by-catches are being murdered before our eyes . is there any way of convincing the government to further fund fisheries protection?????
i think also that every river in the country should have a hatchery, it makes so much sence.just imagine the fishing ,let alone the tourist industry boom-every one benefits.am i alone in thinking this way.ignorance is mans detriment.can any of ye see the big picture beyond the talk of hooks and lines

the netters got 9 boxs of bass over 3 days

hope ur not one of them,don't tend being smart but how do u know

hope ur not one of them,don't tend being smart but how do u know

no
know the guys
est. 5 ton bass netted this year
the next 2 months will see 5/7 punts/gillnetters target bass in the bay
happens every year

Hi, guest. Could you register so we can discuss this via PM?

Cheers.

Take a look at the following.

http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/lates ... p?view=453

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ne ... ea=&month=

This is one way to deal with poaching. The right way. The others are below.

If you want to shop these cretins, you'll find all the useful links here

http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/ireland/

I'd make sure that you inform the CFB, Regional FB, Dept of the Marine & Dept of Tourism.

I'd also make a call to your local cop shop, or post the info in anonymously.

I'd also be sending the same info to your local paper and all the nationals as well.

And if you're going to pass on the info, make sure that each body knows who else you have sent it to. They won't all sit on it.

If anyone wants to help this lad make a bit of noise about poaching in his neck of the woods, here's contact details for his local paper. I'm going to drop the editor a very simple email pointing him at this thread, with a couple of quotes about the scale of the problem. I suggest that anyone who gives a toss does the same. Next time it might be your patch and you'd be glad of the support.


Waterford News
http://www.waterford-news.com/general/contact.asp

Address

25, Michael St.
Waterford,
Ireland

Main telephone number: +353 51 874951

FAX : +353 51 855281

ISDN: +353 51 301204/11

Sales
sales@waterford-news.ie

Editor
editor@waterford-news.ie

editor@waterford-news.ie

Letter to Editor: Poached Bass - a Recipe for Disaster?

Dear Sir/Madam,

It was with some dismay that I read the following post on our sea angling bulletin board this morning. (Link Below)

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... 2691#22691

The post, as you will note, is regarding the illegal commercial gill-netting of bass - supposedly a protected species in this country, and one of our few sport fish.

More unfortunately still, it is by no means an isolated incident. Indeed, the South-East appears to be the worst offender in terms not only of the scale and frequency of poaching incidents, but with regard to how little enforcement occurs.

Given the scale of this problem and the fact that the authorities appear to be systematically ignoring the problem, I feel that it should be brought to the attention of your readers, many of whom, directly or indirectly, doubtless benefit from angling tourism - a trade that will soon be non-existent if reports such as that mentioned above continue to circulate.

Indeed, one could ask as to where these illegally caught fish end up - the volume involved could hardly be for personal consumption. If these are being served in restaurants locally, you may rest assured that the angling fraternity and indeed anyone with a conscience will be giving such establishments a wide berth.

According to the source an estimated 5 tons of bass has been poached in the area this year and the next two months may see up to seven boats operating illegal gill-nets for bass in the bay. Apparently this is an annual occurence.

As an angler myself, I am curious as to why this long standing problem of poaching, apparently widely known about in the area, is not tackled. Bass, like any fish in our waters, are a national resource - the property of all the people of Ireland. Why should a selfish few be allowed to rob the nation unmolested?

A single bass, caught (and almost always released) by anglers, can be worth hundreds of euro to your local economy. I might point out that there is an awful lot of bass in 5 tons. Assuming an average weight of 4lb, about 2500 fish.

A single bass is worth about five to ten euro at the back door of a restaurant, then it's gone forever.

Why, I ask, is this utterly disgraceful state of affairs tolerated?

--
Regards,

Pat Boyle
SACN Regional Co-Ordinator (Ireland)
Visit us at http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/ireland/
SACN Membership Number: 522
IFSA Membership Number: 1350

Hi, guest. Could you register so we can discuss this via PM?

Cheers.

hi
regestered last month under the name cortaz
shoud i log in/on each time ?
art/

hi sandman
the bass avg. 1.5/2lb the nets used are 3.5in. mesh
the main buyers are located in waterford city and skibberen cork
3.30 per.lb thats a bit less than what they can import them for the waterford buyer will buy frozen bass
the therad i started on salmon poaching after the season off Helvic head
resulted in 50 ft trawler being cought bys.f.r.b. they seised .75 mile of mono.fil drift nets
other boats also involved
prob. get called a rat/informer again
at least i am doing something
cortaz(art/)

Hi

Lads can I recommend for your own personal safety that you take this one off-line and use Privat Messages (PMs) to discuss it further / assist the SRFB and others in the pursuit of the poachers. For your own safety...

All the money these guys make is black, from the poacher through to the suppliers into the catering and restaurant trade. (For the record I do not eat bass, orange roughie or monkfish any more in restaurants in Ireland - Gof forbid that we have to add to that list in the name of conservation!)

Bottom line, these guys are criminals so watch your back.

Thanks

Since I'm up in Donegal, I have no hesitation in putting my name to an email like Sandman proposes.

These days and ages, you do have to be careful and watch your backs.

You also have to stand up and be counted for what you believe in.

These poachers are criminals. They're thieves, pure and simple. They'd be delighted to censor concerned citizens, to commit their crimes away from public scrutiny. To intimidate and scare, to plunder the public resources.

Well, I'm not standing for that!

BIG BITE HERE .I AM GOIN TO WRITE LETTER RO THE PAPERS. THIS CAN'T GO ON. THANKS TO EVERY ONE FOR THE SUPPORT. IS THERE ANY WAY IT CAN BE HIGHLIGHTED ON THESE SITES SO EVERY ONE CAN SEE. MORE PEOPLE KNOW THE MORE CAN BE DONE. I'M VERY GRATEFUL

"Just in case anyone doubts that angling is worth more to any economy than commercial fishing, much less poaching, see this link.

http://www.anglers-net.co.uk/sacn/lates ... p?view=457

http://www.pembrokeshiretv.com/content/ ... &zoneid=32

""There is a huge impact from bass fishing on angling tourism,"" said one sea angler.

""More people would come to this area if there were more and bigger fish to catch. At the moment I go to Ireland to catch bass.""

His comments are backed up by the Bass Anglers' Sportfishing Society (BASS). They have used studies from the USA, Eire and the UK to prove that recreational sea angling generates at least five times more spending in the local economy than commercial fishing.

There'll not be many anglers coming if all the bass here have been taken by poachers."

Well done Cortez. Good work. May I also add that I have experienced ringing the fisheries board and only being answered by a voice mail system. However I strongly urge you to leave a message as they request you to. I left a message recently for an incident I witnessed in West Cork and the fisheries board rang me back. Two days later and I also saw the fisheries board van inspecting the area with binoculars etc....

Again, well done!
John D

Hello again lads,

I'm sorry but I've only come across this thread today. Do you think it would be a bit late to send a letter (maybe an identical copy of Sandman's - without his I.D. numbers etc...) the Waterford news now?

By the way Sandman, your lightning reactions and speedy retrieval of necessary contact information regarding conservation issues really amazes me. Fair play to you!

John D

I owe all my success to Google :lol:

In light of recent developments a letter to the paper now might be a good idea. They might publish if it was sent by somebody local, rather than 'some outsider who's only out to cause trouble...'

Feel free to copy/adapt the letter as you see fit.

Well as far as the Waterford newspaper is concerned I am an outsider!

John D

Hi

Some information has been passed on to me that suggests that the site is having an impact on the sleeping patterns of some bass poachers.

:D I know, we're all gutted for them! :evil:

Unfortunately these are very unpleasant criminals. I would therefore advise people not to publish their own details on this or any other site.

Private messaging (PM) is there for a reason. Your own personal safety should not be put at risk. We have police authorities and fisheries boards to deal with these people, so please use the existing legitimate authorities.
Pass on useful information to them and above all, stay safe...

Thanks

I suppose that's good news Kieran. I will follow advice though.

Cheers!
John D