I urge you to please 'VIEW & ACT ON' this post!!

[John D]

Below is a Christmas card that I'd like you to send to Fisheries Minister Sean Connick please.
The message in the card is important, serious, festive & humourus.
Sending the message will help protect Irish sea bass.

It's very easy and extremely quick to do. I've outlined some easy to follow instructions below.

To send the message just create a new e-mail. But before you create the new e-mail make sure you download or save a copy of the Christmas card that I've added as an attachment to this post.
In the 'To:' box of your new e-mail add one or two of the following e-mail addresses, sean.connick@oireachtas.ie and/or sean.connick@agriculture.gov.ie
After you've done that simply add the Christmas card that you've saved or downloaded from this post as an attachment to your new e-mail.
Once you've done that all you have to do now is click 'Send'.

Here is the Christmas card -

A card for Minister Sean Connick.pdf

Thanks a lot.
Merry Christmas and a Happy prosperous new Year to everyone,
John D.

[beachcomber]

Great Idea John, Seasons Greetings sent.

[kevin o connor]

E-mail sent, hope it has the desired effect. In my experience of dealing with Min. Connick, he is very good at passing the book. I always get the "I will pass on your concerns to the relevant authorities" answer. Typical F.F. politician.

[fisher of bass]

the commercial quotas have being cut ,

[gd]

Sent to both of his email addys,

Only takes 2 mins.

[teacher]

the commercial quotas have being cut ,

This is true, but its also a bit misleading and an example of the propaganda that the FIF would like us all to listen to.

They have been cut by an average by 0.9% when the best scientific advice available, which cost many hundreds of millions of Euros to assemble, recommended an average cut across all species of about 22%. This was recommended to try to preserve the stocks and therefore the long term future of those people whose jobs depend on them. The Minister and his Department ignored the commissions advice and dug their heels in coming away with virtually no cut at all. Once again short term concerns took priority over the long term future of those in the commercial sector and the long term protection or the fish stocks that belong to us all.

The fact that the FIF were happy with the outcome must tell you something.

Sadly the concerns of the small inshore fishermen who have the ability to fish in a sustainable manner have been ignored again.

We need to keep fighting for our Bass stocks to ensure that they aren't managed in such a short term and greedy way.

[John D]

Great point Jonathan!

What baffles me more than anything else is that they are actually ruining their own livelihoods by demanding to fish in such an intense way to many depleted fish stocks!

John D.

[Donnyboy1]

the commercial quotas have being cut ,

This may actually result in less fish being caught.

But bear in mind its only the quota's that have been cut (maybe I am incorrect??)
The stock is already diminished so this cut is miniscule and the net effect is a larger percentage of the actual stock will now be fished... even if less is caught.

[doggie3131]

did this,and hopefully we will have a better minister in a few short months,and hopefully he will be from the midlands somewhere with NO commerical fishermen in his constienincy!

[hugo]

What baffles me more than anything else is that they are actually ruining their own livelihoods by demanding to fish in such an intense way to many depleted fish stocks!

Big Fishing, like any other Big Industry, doesnt give a flounder's fart about sustainability or future livelihoods. All they want is to maximise the return on their investment as fast a possible and by any means necessary. Once their bank accounts are stuffed with cash, they dont care if the fishing drops dead, they have the readies to move into something else, its just another business. You get the same thing in farming where insurance companies or pension funds buy/lease land, farm it intensively for 5 to 7 years till the soil is burnt out, then dump it.

I sent a Christmas message to Connick but honestly I think only the EU can do anything to Save Our Seas at this stage.

[teacher]

I sent a Christmas message to Connick but honestly I think only the EU can do anything to Save Our Seas at this stage.

Irish Bass has joined the OCEAN2012 coalition to support a change in the way the EU manages our fisheries.

http://www.ocean2012.eu/channel/index/id/1432#I