Angling Contribution/Licence - The Current Situation - RSA's

In the light of the recent speculation about an “Angler Contribution/Licence” to be included in the new “Inland Fisheries Bill” it was decided to seek a meeting with IFI in order to clarify the situation.
John Q and myself met with IFI today (18/12) at their offices in Clonmel.
(There was a meeting between IFI and most of the angling federations yesterday in Dublin. I understand that there was none of the sea angling federations present.)

Apparently the current fisheries bill includes the provision for the imposition for a licence should the government ever see fit. The new bill will include a similar provision. (Understand here that the licence has never been brought in). If some scheme were to ever be brought in there would need to be secondary legislation to cover the scheme.

There is currently no plan to introduce an Angler Contribution/Licence.
IFI reckon that there is need for some form of funding to support angling initiatives. They see the imposition of an Angling Contribution/Licence as an option in providing funding. The angling federations are described as being in favour of some scheme. To be fair, most people I have spoken to are not opposed to a licence in theory if it can be shown to be of benefit to anglers, angling, fish & funding is ring fenced etc. etc.
IFI have looked for/are looking for ideas, options and discussion documents to be submitted about the whole fisheries bill including the Contribution/Licence.

We outlined that:
Many sea anglers are seasonal in that they do not fish all year round. There would seem to be more casual sea anglers than freshwater anglers.
Most sea anglers are not represented by the two angling federations (IFSA & EFSA).
That the perception of sea anglers is that the quality of their fishing is decreasing and this more than any other factor needs to be addressed.
IFI is currently not in a position to affect the quality of fishing for any sea species other than bass.
Other than Portugal, there is no other EU county that has a sea angling licence. This licence is not deemed to be successful not least by the European Tackle Trade Ass.
It seems to be easy to find reasons and justification for a Licence/Contribution in freshwater angling it would be a lot more difficult to justify the same for Sea Angling.
Sea angling is a very different activity when compared to freshwater angling in terms of control and resource.
That IFI needs to communicate with sea anglers on IFI’s role or the role that they wish to take with respect to sea angling.

All told the meeting was an interesting one. It would seem to bear out the adage “wait for something official before speculating”. The issue will not go away but there will be nothing brought in without consensus.

I would add on a personal note: It would take something very special to see me supporting a Licence/Contribution!

Some good points raised there, Fair dues to yourself and John for attending and thanks for sharing.

Jim,

if an angling license would give us some say in the management of our fish stocks then I favour it. For instance, I believe that trawlers should be kept outside of the 3 mile limit/ headlands then there would be a great benefit to anglers and even possibly the trawlers. All we have to examine is the huge mullet catch in Cork harbour recently . No doubt there was quite a few bass in this catch. There was a trawler netting almost up to the cliffs in W Waterford last year for "pollock" . Need I say more.

When the cod arrive in the estuary in Waterford they are almost immediately swept up by trawlers and I gather that the same applies to Monkstown wall.

As someone who spends a lot of my time in Dublin I would say to any angler that is not on the E Coast to do a few days fishing there. Pin whiting is all that anglers there can hope for. This is what will eventually happen all around the coast if something isn't done.

It is in anglers interests to cooperate in organising a rod license. However, the money MUST go to protecting angling the the way of proper laws and more fisheries officers. It MUST NOT go into the state coffers. The question of course is whether we can trust the politicians.

I hope that my grandchildren will get a chance to experience good fishing here.

By the way I am not any politically affiliated.

However, I do believe that we need to become a powerful group that can have some influence on government to protect our future angling. If we bury our heads in the sand then the trawler men will win and clear our shores of any fish.