waterford/ clonea/17/11

[x]

At the risk of making myself unpopular here...but someone has to present a 'balanced' view.

I can understand exactly where Marty is coming from.

To a coarse fisherman the idea of, say, a dead pike hung off a pole outside a bivvy would be unthinkable and certainly wouldn't be something they would do, much less publicise.

With respect to fish conservation and the image they project to the general public, sea anglers are not a patch on their freshwater counterparts.

We do not seem to have the same regard for fish, the environment, or the threats facing our sport of angling. We, frankly, are letting the angling side down in the public eye. We have a lot to learn from them.

We are, again compared to our freshwater friends, pretty poor in the organisational stakes. And for some reason, we seem to be utterly blind to the threats facing angling going forward.

As mentioned previously, there are a number of organisations out there who go under the umbrella of anti-hunting/angling, ethical treatment of animals and so forth, who are shortly going to sieze on the sort of stuff we put on here to try to close down angling. (taking sticks to anglers appears to be part of their view of 'ethical' - a funny view IMHO)

One may try to write them off as the lunatic fringe or simply decide that they are irrelevant, but that will turn out to be a mistake, just as the petty bickering among anglers we see here is. I think it's long past time that anglers of all types got together and started singing from the same hymn sheet, before it all hits the fan.

[cortaz]

everybody, chill out, 8)
the lobsters i borrowed :roll: :wink: from the pots of the guy that put the bass nets out the evening S.A.I. fished the cunnigar, july 16th. an eye for an eye.
he will think twice the next time. :D

[cortaz]

hi marty
i,ve been thinkin about this thread and agree that pics. of dead fish that anglers have killed,
can and do offend ppl. and gives the antis ammo. also its not the way forward for angleing/anglers.
and dare i say it from now on shoud be banned/limited/vetoed
you stood up and stuck your neck out to try and show me/us the way forward knowing you were going to get stick,i am also now aware of the good things you have done for your branch of the sport..men, like you are few and far between,continue the good work marty,
i think what i,am tryin to say is that sometimes! a person must take a few steps back before he can 1 forward.
art/

[Marty Harrison]

Brave and fair words Art, much respect to you!

If you could forward details about the B.P.G. I would be very grateful.

Regards,

Marty