The current state of sea fish stocks - brilliant article!

[John D]

Hi guys.

Apologies if this article has already been linked to this site but it's too good to not have on here.

http://www.anirishanglersworld.com/inde ... situation/

This article needs to be in the minds of all us sea anglers.

If possible please also pass the link on to government officials, local politicians and T.D.s etc.

Come on, if we don't care who will?

John D.

[JimH]

Difficult to stay positive, I know personally after twelve years of my life dedicated to a good sustainable tourism based angling business what it means to have to stop.

The perpetuatiion of the myth confuses me a lot of the time.

[John D]

I know, what good does it do at all?

You perpetuate the myth so as not to put off potential customers - sure they'll arrive anyway. However, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be mad as hell by the time they leave!

You perpetuate the myth to try and stay positive about fishing in general - ok so you go out fishing feeling a little bit more positive by digging your head in the sand. However, reality will soon hit home when you leave the beach with two pin whiting and a dogfish every time! And by the time you think you should try do something about it the job is even harder than what it would've been had you started a year or two earlier!

I am chomping at the bit to 'DO' something. Sometimes I just don't know what I should be doing.

Regardless of all this I continue to put all my fish back, yes all my fish. I love to eat fish but I love to fish more than I love to eat fish! I'll continue to lobby organisations, politicians, T.D.s etc. via e-mail, letters, Facebook comments and Tweets. I'll continue to inform any member of the public who'll listen about the lack of fish in Irish salt waters. I don't try and force this last thing and wreck people's heads. I'll just gently drop it in there if the conversation happens to come around to sea angling.

Tight lines (hopefully!)
John D.

[Ashley Hayden]

You perpetuate the myth so as not to put off potential customers

that ladies and gentlemen is the conundrum for anybody who works in the angling tourism industry.

Firstly, John thank you for highlighting the piece and also to Jim, one of the most passionate, positive, professional and knowledgeable sea anglers that I know.

We all are customers that are being sold a pup and when we highlight this fact we are told to shut up, but please keep spending your hard earned.

Irish sea angling today is akin to Rio de Janeiro, great wealth and even greater poverty side by side, do not mention the inequality.

Let the myth perpetuate.

[JimH]

Interesting article in todays Irish Times too from Michael Viney - see below

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environm ... -1.2324336

[John D]

I very recently returned to sea angling after a 17 year absence. Yesterday I had my 26th fishing outing around Dublin. I've pretty much covered Dublin bay from north to south and the fishing has been bad now, I have to say that I am a realist, and I fully appreciate that fishing around Dublin is going to be poor compared to other places around our coast. However, the absence of fish is so noticeable that it makes me wonder how the seals have survived. Is Dublin the sign of things to come around the rest of our coast? It makes me sad and worried. Of course I have it in mind to travel further in pursuit of some fish, next stop Wicklow, and then Wexford. But what will I find when I get there? Will it be worth the effort that I put in? Probably better than my home county. But for how long? A few years from now the whole east Coast could be fishing the same as Dublin. It's tragic.

[Dicenintra]

The angling portfolio needs to come out of Dept. Communications Energy and natural resources, it is getting Zero attention there. It should be with Dept. Tourism and Sport so the Tourism gurus can get the full picture of how much angling is worth to the economy. Its basically worth more than the commercial fishing industry and look how much government resources go into that. We need to make this a make or break item in the next election.

[John D]

Great points Dicenintra - I'd love it if we could/would all try make it a make or break point in the elections. I absolutely love my fishing but I think first thing's first - tackling climate change! I think this is a big threat to the health of global fish stocks - not to mention the health of our existence too! If the planet is not healthy there won't be as many fish. We probably won't even be thinking about fishing - just scraping out an existence. I suppose we can't fish if we don't exist. I'm getting deep here, not to mention a bit off topic.

[Dicenintra]

I agree, every aspect of government policy should have an independent environmental analyst in the decision making process forums. Civil Servants and politicians hate the words enviromentalist or NGO as it is sure to make their life harder but it should be a guaranteed part of every decision process. Just like it is a requirement tr translate everything into Irish. For example 2 boats hunting albacore tuna spent €40,000 each burning diesel to steam to the Azores early in the season to hoover up the quota before anyone else, but if the season opened later they could catch them 50-80 miles from home. To me that kind of stuff is a no brainer. Every bit of government policy at all levels should have a brief environmental impact statement or at least a stated Carbon cost.

[corbyeire]

excellent points dicenintra

[Ashley Hayden]

Direct from the British "Marine Conservation Society", 25/09/2015:

Quote: The North Sea cod population has at last increased above dangerously low levels and hauled itself off our Fish to Avoid list, but only just. The hard work in this fishery needs to continue in order for North Sea cod to head towards the green end of the spectrum.

Despite this improving news for North Sea cod, nine other cod stocks in the north east Atlantic are on our red list, including recently deteriorated stocks in the [b]Celtic Sea a[/b]nd West Baltic.

Whiting from the Irish Sea and all wild caught sea bass have also slipped onto our Fish to Avoid list, whilst wild salmon remains a Fish to Avoid.

Hake from the south west has moved onto the Fish to Eat list, reflecting the recent certification of the Cornish fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council – a great choice to buy!

[John D]

Thanks Ashley - hopefully the powers that be build on this instead of getting complacent!