Anglers flee over drift net debacle

The organisers of a mass protest, which is to take place in Kerry on Saturday, October 22nd, have issued a rallying call to the tourism sector in Connacht .
The ‘Stop Now' group, which is campaigning for an end to salmon drift netting, has called on all those involved in the angling tourism sector in the West to travel to Killarney for a demonstration to coincide with the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis. Thousands of disgruntled anglers are expected to converge on the Kerry town on the afternoon of October 22nd to voice their anger at the Government's refusal to bring an end to drift netting. The ‘Stop Now' group claims that angling tourism in Ireland is in danger of total collapse if the drift netting issue is not addressed once and for all.
A spokesperson for the organisation, Mr Shane Maloney, told the Western People yesterday (Monday) that angling tourism was already in crisis with foreign fishermen taking their business to other parts of Europe and the United States . Mr Maloney revealed that initial figures for the 2005 season suggest that angling tourism has fallen by as much as 40 per cent in the space of twelve months.
“We have had our worst season ever in Mayo. Fishermen who always came here are going to Scotland and America where they don't have to worry about the drift netting.
“Only 28,000 game anglers visited Ireland this year compared with figures of around 90,000 in the early 1990s. It's a shocking decline and it has to be stopped. Some people might argue that ‘Rip Off Ireland' is causing the anglers to stay away but our information suggests that higher prices are being charged in other countries for angling and the fishermen are still going there. It's nothing to do with cost, it is purely down to the drift netting issue.”
Mr Maloney said the Government had failed to address the matter and had actually compounded the problem by ignoring international guidelines on quotas.
“Pat ‘The Cope' Gallagher agreed a catch quota of 139,000 fish when the international scientific advice suggests that the overall figure should not be more than 97,000. We are dealing with declining fish stocks every year and the more that are killed this year the less there will be for every year after this.”
Mr Maloney said rivers and lakes in the south of Ireland were already ‘dead' while the affects of the drift netting could be clearly seen on the salmon-rich River Moy.

“The Moy has always been the best salmon-fishing river in Ireland and one of the best in Europe but it is suffering from the drift netting. 80 per cent of salmon caught on the Moy in the last year showed net damage – in other words, they forced their way through the nets to get into the river. It shows the sort of impact the drift nets are having; they are catching everything.”
Ireland is now the only country in the world to permit wholesale drift netting although there are a small number of licences issued in the north-east of England . The ‘Stop Now' campaign says it fully supports a compensation package for fishermen who will be affected if the Goverment accedes to its demand for an end to drift netting.
“We don't want to see anyone suffering hardship as a result of the ending of drift netting. But the facts of the matter are that a salmon caught in a net is worth €25 to the economy, a salmon caught on the line through angling tourism is worth €423. Our argument is based on commonsense and logic. We cannot allow the drift netting to continue while our angling tourism industry collapses around us.”
Mr Maloney said the ‘Stop Now' campaign had received huge support from Munster for its Kerry rally and it was hoped that large numbers of people would travel from Connacht to join their southern counterparts.
“Everyone knows how important angling tourism is to Mayo, particularly in North Mayo, and, hopefully, a large number of people will make the trip to Kerry. This is the most important event in our campaign to end drift netting so we need all the support we can get.”
The ‘Stop Now' rally assembles at the Grotto, adjacent to the Killarney Bypass Road , at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22nd.
For further information contact Vincent Duignan at 086-3340898 

Source:
Western People, October 2005