SFPA - what are they for?

On Tuesday one of my guests reported a boat was laying out several hundred yards of net from 40 to 100 yards out on a favourite fishing area. I immediately went to check and although the boat was missing 3 other anglers confirmed the story saying it was at least 330 yards if not more of net and that they had words with the boatmen and he sounded like a foreign national but they could not be positive because of the distance.
I rang a contact in the IFI and he informed me that it was not his Department and I should ring the SFPA at my local Castletownbere office. Did this and got an Ansafone message so left a brief message and my contact details. Then I rang the emergency number on the SFPA web site and got a recorded message telling me the opening times. As it was mid afternoon they should have been open!. At least the IFI guy rang me back to say that he also had no success in contacting the SFPA.
Now some 48 hours later there is still no contact from the SFPA - what exactly is their purpose in life - as it certainly does not seem to be protecting fish stocks.

It does beg to wonder what the hell is going on? Not even to ring back is strange but these lean times have led to people in the public service being lazy due to disagreement.

Not being able to get anyone on the phone is poor form. We are all paying more tax and should be expecting better services for our money.

I suppose if they were setting a net possibly to catch bass then it would be IFI's responsibility.
I would imagine if the fishermen were unlicensed it would be an SPFA matter.
If they were licenced and were setting a net to catch pollack or mullet then there probably would be nothing illegal going on.

What cracks me is the fact that if you believe the Fishermans organisations - "there have never been so much cod around" if such is the case why are these guys plundering the inshore waters of pollack and suchlike. Cod are thin on the ground down this way.

Or if nobody does bugger all then it is the responsibility of no organisation and they can all blame each other for the lack of action.

IFI are prob not happy about it but they are the body responsible and not the SFPA. IFI are responsible up to the twelve mile limit. Maybe for a start they should let their own staff in on this!!

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Sorry disregard the above as I had my bass blinkers on! IFI are only responsible for bass. Back to blaming the SFPA!

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Not so sure what they are for - surely they are not 'working' for free? So my next question is: If they are not a voluntary group (and I'm sure they aren't - as some leprechaun has whispered me) why on earth are these people not being sacked or at least warned with all this evidence of non-performance?
I am convinced these nets are still there, surely over the weekend (!) forget about Mondays anyway - and then, hungover, tired, depressed - nobody is able to find anything.

Why bother, we get paid, never mind that - any results. See? This is what makes us different. This is why we are the laughing stock. This is why we are the "Irish" - do you get it? We don't complain, we are living in fairy land, dreaming our lives away. We deserve it, honestly, and I am so ashamed of it it nearly kills me! Are we all brain dead? Are we all slaves?
Where is our power, our Gaelic fierceness, everyone from Vikings to Saxons was so afraid of? Is this all gone, wiped out from cheap leather recliner suites, from gas barbecues, sliced bread, landscaped front lawns and danish bits?
Well - then we deserve to go under, drown in self pity, moan about banks, taxes, incapable politicians, drugs and the government, yes we are a nation of moaners and complainers!
Tired and exhausted. Yes. And...why? We had the best years ever in the history of the state not so long ago.
Has anyone saved up for the rainy days? Fair play if you did! Or have you just chanced it, took whatever your bank threw at you and spent it? Well, you are in the bogs now aren't you, up to your eyebrows! And rightly so!

Either you chanced it or you were mislead like an innocent child. Still - you should have known better - and you did. Chancers are chancers and will be to the rest of their days.
These chancers are now trying to steel again from us. I don't care if they steel trout or bream or pike, perch or bass!
What I dislike is that they think they can take it because we don't care anyway. Because we are a nation of happy go lucky drunks, living in cuckoo land with the fairies and all we are concerned of is the weather. Ah, sure, that's grand!
This is the mentality which brought us near to the brink of extinction. And now again. You want to know what's wrong with us?
We do not defend our land, our property,
our free life, our shores, our seas, ourselves!
We are running away from so called authority
if we think they are superior, we are a sad people of pitiful cowards.
The first sign of problems - no, please, we don't need to sort them out ourselves, we get out of here and move away to different shores or places or just go home.
Well, we had the right to come back to our fathers crust when it went so well for everyone here, didn't we? Pity there was others here faster, cheaper and more efficient forces, trained by centuries of hunger and poverty and just eager to get into the game first and they were ruthless - we trusted them anyway. Nice soft day today, isn't it?
No problem, who cares, plenty out there and we don't really wont these jobs anyway.
Another cup of tea love?
Big mouth nation we have turned into. Big mouth and no brain. Why are we in this mess now? Not because others have brought us into it! It is because we ran after the wrong guys again and again, because we learned nothing from history, because we always were happy to live in cuckoo land, no responsibility and no fears and no senses.
You know that we are the next in line on Charlies list? The good old Darwin's rejects? Who cares, weekend
and the old craic is coming up, no time for shite like that, wanna go out the door to sort it, for once and all?
If I could I gladly would, but who is in the position of saving poor old Ireland nowadays. The Government, the EU, the IMF, these wisecracks from whatsoever and from whom after, bankers, junkies or wankers - I am at a total loss or a halt of my senses. Just want to see dispenses. All of these people greying up my senses. No feeling of loss, they are like moss, regrow and regrow and regrow and we are defenseless. Dry out the bogs, let people settle back, let them plant up the land and regrow what was ours to sow. We are an Island, led astray far to often, ruled by fierce people, we didn't soften, its time again to take charge, of our land and our people and send them others at large!
Rant and rap over!

Fine rant !!!, now wheres the bbq fuel

Rants are a waste of energy, especially when they're preaching to the converted. Do something instead. Write to your local newspaper, its old-fashioned I know, but public servants just hate their shortcomings being exposed to the general public in print. Also, bombard your local TD with emails about the destruction of tourist angling. Nothing's going to change until we stop telling each other how furious we are and start telling the wider world.

Looks like the SPFA are patrolling in a RIB up this way!

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Nice day for it. Pity they don't answer the phone and go where they might actually be needed.

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Don't forget the guys online complaining about everything, but only online!!! Terrible post IMO!

I can't speak for others Kstaff but my complaining is not restricted to cyberspace! I have even been known to go on a march. Very un-Irish these days I know. But there you have it:grin:.

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Not yours David, the Austrians!

No probs. I wasn't sure whose post you were referring to but thought I would take the opportunity to brag about my complaining credentials just in case.

Walter

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now you're complaining about me not getting that u complain alot. Dont get Martin riled up again for Jaysus sake.

I don't know why everyone is complaining because our ministers up here in Northern Ireland tell me that the sea is full of fish and there's plenty being landed in our ports north and south and theres plenty for everyone so you are fussing over nothing if you email them or approach them on a late night flight from heathrow and spend 1 hr bending their ears;) before being asked to return to your seat!

Not being able to get anyone on the phone is poor form. We are all paying more tax and should be expecting better services for our money.

Not being facetious Jim, but if you believe one cent of your extra taxes is going into services you're being naive. All our extra tax is just going to pay off the bailout and bank loans. Public services are being cut, budgets are slashed, staff are not being replaced. Don't be expecting better services for a long time...

Looks like the SPFA are patrolling in a RIB up this way!

That's nuts - putting a patrol boat on the AIS system. That's just telling the fishermen you're trying to monitor exactly where you are and where you're going... sure they'd never use that information to avoid you now, would they!