Merging Central and Regional Fisheries Boards

[teacher]

This slipped in quietly in the 2009 budget. The Central and Regional Fisheries Boards are to be merged in to a single National Fisheries Board.

IMO, this is a positive step from the point of view of developing more joined-up fisheries policies.

Anyone any thoughts on this?

[Tanglerat]

Thank Christ. I shall sing Halleluiahs at the demise of the NRFB.

Anything, anything at all, has to be better that what we had.

[saltydog]

Can only be a good thing at least it will cut out "passing the buck" when it comes to who's responsible for what.

[MAC]

If I remember correctly, this was tried before, but was resisted internally. Hopefully they have more success this time.

Kev

[Liamo]

Hi,

Can I play the cynic here? In the face of budget cuts, recession, doom, gloom, etc. looks like the government are trying to consolidate their resources. Isn't it possible this new national body might be a curtailed version of what we have now? - this move could well signal a demise in the power and resources our regional fisheries boards have now?

Liam

[corbyeire]

that would have been my take on it liamo

[Tanglerat]

- this move could well signal a demise in the power .......... of our regional fisheries boards have now?

Good. About time too.


I don't know what your RFB was like, but up here they were a law unto themselves and accountable to nobody. Like or lump their decisions, you had no recourse to anyone or anywhere.

The Sea Angling Rep on it wasn't even a sea angler!

At least now if there's a local problem it can be escalated to a national level.

As for resources , the RFB's were very keen to get their hands on fisheries when there was plenty of money around. Now the cash cows are drying up, will they be looking to angling clubs again to take on work for nothing?

[teacher]

this move could well signal a demise in the power and resources our regional fisheries boards have now?

I see where you're going and I agree that's a risk. However, I think there is far more to gain from a restructured National Fisheries Board.

There are some very good people working for our regional fisheries boards now who are constrained by the existing regional framework. These people would be freed up to be more creative.

There's also a lot of duplication of effort and I hope a combined National Fisheries Board would remove this duplication and give people time to do things that they current don't have time to do.

From what I've heard, there are also already some good working relationships between some of the fisheries boards. Formalising this would make this collaboration easier.

[Bradan]

Thank Christ. I shall sing Halleluiahs at the demise of the NRFB.

Anything, anything at all, has to be better that what we had.

Don't start singing yet. There will still be a regional structure within a national body. The staff won't be changing...

Can only be a good thing at least it will cut out "passing the buck" when it comes to who's responsible for what.

Any examples or is this just a case of jumping on a bandwagon?

If I remember correctly, this was tried before, but was resisted internally. Hopefully they have more success this time.

Its been under review for a couple of years now. This is the first time they've actually come out and said they are going to do it though. TBH, there has been nothing to resist, staff were barely kept informed of what was happening, and there was no resistance internally. The actual boards have been vocal about not going down this route, but they are not staff, just board members getting expenses... if you get my drift.

Can I play the cynic here? In the face of budget cuts, recession, doom, gloom, etc. looks like the government are trying to consolidate their resources. Isn't it possible this new national body might be a curtailed version of what we have now? - this move could well signal a demise in the power and resources our regional fisheries boards have now?

Liam

Nail. Head. Possibly.

- this move could well signal a demise in the power .......... of our regional fisheries boards have now?

Good. About time too.

I don't know what your RFB was like, but up here they were a law unto themselves and accountable to nobody. Like or lump their decisions, you had no recourse to anyone or anywhere.

The Sea Angling Rep on it wasn't even a sea angler!

At least now if there's a local problem it can be escalated to a national level.

As for resources , the RFB's were very keen to get their hands on fisheries when there was plenty of money around. Now the cash cows are drying up, will they be looking to angling clubs again to take on work for nothing?

I know the issue you're referring to, and while you're entitled to your view, that doesn't mean its correct or unbiased. In future, there most like won't be any sea angler rep, or angler rep, or any reps that will take local concerns to the national board (if there is one)
As for "getting their hands on fisheries" - thats another issue and too big an issue for this thread. Suffice to say there's 2 sides to every story, and in Donegal the anglers aren't blameless too. Most clubs on rivers managed by the State have been very fortunate with the amount of investment in habitat work, protection and stock management put in by the boards.
BTW, I don't what you mean about clubs being asked to take on work for nothing???

this move could well signal a demise in the power and resources our regional fisheries boards have now?

I see where you're going and I agree that's a risk. However, I think there is far more to gain from a restructured National Fisheries Board.

There are some very good people working for our regional fisheries boards now who are constrained by the existing regional framework. These people would be freed up to be more creative.

There's also a lot of duplication of effort and I hope a combined National Fisheries Board would remove this duplication and give people time to do things that they current don't have time to do.

From what I've heard, there are also already some good working relationships between some of the fisheries boards. Formalising this would make this collaboration easier.

There will still be a regional framework in place, along the lines of the River Basin Districts in the Water Framework Directive. The research will still be carried out by staff in the national body (CFB as it is now). To be honest, I don't see too many changes except at management level. We will probably lose some staff with an early retirement package, and have less funding and staff to do the same job we do now.
If you think that's a good thing....

[pete]

Informative reply Bradan....i can only hope that it doesnt mean continued siphoning of goverment funding away from fishery protection...not that much was ever spent on it anyhow

[Tanglerat]

..... that doesn't mean its correct or unbiased. .

Oh heck, it's entirely biased, and I'll be the first to say so.

[Bradan]

Informative reply Bradan....i can only hope that it doesnt mean continued siphoning of goverment funding away from fishery protection...not that much was ever spent on it anyhow

Well seeing as your budget was cut as well as ours last week it seems we're well down the list of priorities

..... that doesn't mean its correct or unbiased. .

Oh heck, it's entirely biased, and I'll be the first to say so.

Lol, you're one of the first Donegal anglers I've heard admit that! By the way, ask Pete there how his fishery has benefited from NRFB involvement...

[saltydog]

saltydog wrote:
Can only be a good thing at least it will cut out "passing the buck" when it comes to who's responsible for what.

Any examples or is this just a case of jumping on a bandwagon?

My limited experience of fisheries boards goes back a few years to an area of Meath which borders West Meath and Cavan. I used to fish a few of the lakes in the area predominantly Lough Lene, Lough Bawn, The White Lough and Lough Sheelin with my good friend Martin Agnew Chairman of one of the local clubs. When illegal poaching was becoming apparent the relevant fisheries boards were contacted. With little action being taken and no one taking ownership of the problem it was left to local clubs & anglers to launch patrols mainly at night when the alleged poaching was taking place. All this was done by anglers to protect their fisheries and sport to which they contribute each time the lakes are restocked. As far as i'm aware they never caught any poachers but by that time the stocks had been badly hit.

[teacher]

According to the Irish Times today (3rd Nov 2008) this is going ahead and will be in place by the middle of 2009.

In a letter (seen by The Irish Times), the Minister sets out proposals for the new sector. These include regional structures to be managed as River Basin Districts, as specified in EU (Water Policy) Regulations of 2003, and the creation of a national inland fisheries forum to advise on policies relating to conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of the inland fisheries resource.

More here ... http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 08142.html