Bass being commercially exploited again!?

[John D]

Good points burnsie and barracuda!

[Zulu Man]

i am totaly against against this

[fish r man]

hi all, ive been following this thread now for a while,
it is great to see so many anglers standing up for our sport,
i have written some letters and said my 2pence worth i hope all the
2 pences add up and the people in the right places start to take notice.

[Beamo]

I wrote to the new minister and cc'd lots more including the EU commissioner

Got replies from Eamonn Ryan and the Minister

[John D]

That's what it's all about fish r man and Beamo. Zulu Man - get your pen and paper out!

Tight lines,
John D.

[home from the sea]

dont panis lads mr connick is the man

[beachbuddy]

I presume you meant don't PANIC ,care to elaborate,or is this your way of trying to get us wound up again

[eriden7]

I come each summer from France for fishing (and release) bass.
If it will be the same thing as in France (no bass for shore angling, or very fiew), i will go fishing in Norway or Sweden for pike , sea fish...
This politic is stupid in France (no bass for nobody).
Eriden

[kingbass]

i will donate as well

[beachcomber]

For those of you who haven't yet written letters of protest to the minister/ministers please make the effort to do so.
THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY.

[Beamo]

I got this reply from Eamon Ryan

"I refer to your letter of 2 April 2010 in connection with the above matter.



As you may be aware the making of regulations for the management of the sea bass fishery is a matter for the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Recently, my colleague Mr Conor Lenihan T.D., Minister of State at this Department, expressed a number of concerns he has regarding a proposal to allow commercial fishing for bass, particularly given the status of sea bass stocks and their importance and contribution to sea angling.



Despite the absence of a commercial sea bass fishery in Ireland for almost two decades, there is no empirical evidence of any significant or consistent increase in sea bass abundance based on available indices, and stocks remain depleted. As Ireland 's indigenous bass population is slow-growing and late maturing compared with European stocks, Minister Lenihan and I share your concerns that any resumption of the commercial sea fishery would adversely impact on stocks.



Minister Lenihan also indicated his support for a proposal that the International Council for Exploration of the Sea should be requested to examine the latest data on the status of sea bass stocks and propose management measures for this species. I expect, however, that the Minister of State responsible will not allow commercial fishing for sea bass in the absence of robust assurances from scientists that it will have no negative impact on Irish sea bass stocks.


If you feel I can be of any further assistance on this or any other issue please do not hesitate to contact me again."

[John D]

As I tried to sleep last night with thoughts of our wonderful bass angling swirling around my head, I wondered if our government are holding off on making a decision to lift the commercial bass ban until such a time that all our lobbying efforts havd died down?

It led me to think that maybe we should all continue to write another letter each every two to three weeks or so, just to keep the Minister and his staff on their toes and to remind them that we haven't gone away!

It doesn't even have to be the exact same letter as before, then again maybe that's the best approach?
It could even be something as small and quick as:

'Dear Minsiter, further to my letter to you regarding the ongoing protection and promotion of our Irish bass angling sector, I was wondering if you had time to consider my concerns and ideas? Yours faithfully, Mr. Bass angler'.

Anyway, I'll continue to write and e-mail.

Tight lines,
John D.

[teacher]

Good idea John. I'll do the same myself.

Its a few months now since most of us wrote to Minister Connick so it might be worth sending another letting asking about the state of his deliberations, etc.

Also, it might be worth asking him for his opinion on the existing illegal commercial fishery that is generally accepted to exist (e.g. as documented by the Marine Institute).

[The Austrian]

I have just just posted a link here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49132745920
This groups member database is quite large, 7,786 at present, hope this will trigger a few responses too.

[dublin13]

would it be an idea that come election time all us Anglers sea/pike/trout/coarse/salmon have a publicity pack in the hall to give to political canvassers, i.e I will listen to you but u have to listen to me and answer my questions and tell me what your Party's position is on it in writing please. no reply no chance of a vote
and use this forum to report the response.
There is going to be an election soon I hope

[John D]

Maybe Dublin13, just maybe. I like your thinking

John D.

[John D]

Good stuff The Austrian. That's one hell of a group alright. Imagine every one of them asking the Minister what he thinks of our unique and valuable bass resource!!??

Tight lines,
John D.

[jd]

Here are some Headline figures from the survey


From question 7 through to question 18 respondents were asked to respond about their levels and patterns of expenditure. Levels of expenditure over a three year period were sought and these were averaged out to give per annum figures. This was done so as to compensate for the impact that the recession may have had over the previous 12 months. From the responses garnered the following findings can be extrapolated (see Appendix 6):

·	Irish Sea anglers spend €182.5M approx per annum in Ireland in pursuit of their sport.
 ·	Approximately 45% of all Irish Sea anglers fish for bass.
 ·	Of those anglers who fish for bass, approximately 52.45% of their expenditure relates to bass fishing. 


Total expenditure by Irish anglers in Ireland on bass fishing 							€43,000,000
 
 
Contribution of Irish Bass Recreational Fishery to Irish Economy (Non-Irish Anglers)			€8,650,000	

Total Contribution of Irish Bass Recreational Fishery to Irish Economy					€51,650 ,000

A report with further details is being drawn up.

[MackDublin]

JD,
This is a fantastic piece of work and the figures are very enlightening.

Is there a solid plan to get this piece of work in front of the stakeholders in this debate.
I would think this piece of work is relevant to:
- All goverment ministers and in fact all TD's (particularly coastal).
- Bord Failte
- Ferry companies
- Coastal Hotels etc

A strong piece of work like this should have a lot of traction and be given to as wide an audience as possible.

Well done
Colm

[jd]

Pat did most of the work on this. The report is not yet finished, but it will certainly be presented to the relevant stakeholders.