I am thinking of taking the Institute of Fisheries Management Certificate - just to further my knowledge of fish, habitat etc. Has anyone done this course (or similar). Is it useful or worthwhile ? Bruno - any offers as the qualified one ?

John

Yes, it's well worth doing, although it is (or, at least, was) quite a prolonged 'correspondence course' process, lasting two years. There's an exam at the end, which is more or less equivalent to a GCSE. If you have adequate prior knowledge of fisheries management, you can (or could) fast track you way to the exam, which is what I did ...err, about 20 years ago, hence my lack of up-to-date info!

The angling content is not particularly prominent, but the sections will give you a good grounding in most aspects of fisheries management.

This subject interests me too . .John did you progress on this . . have you started the course ?

I also did the IFM course.As Bruno said it is (used to be) a correspondence course.I found it well worth while and interesting.Mine was arranged and sponsored by the syndicate that I was involved with at the time.Indeed it was quite common then (late 80'3 early 90's) for clubs in the SE to get a comittee member to do this.The one thing that sticks in my mind from it is how little we as anglers actually know about fishery management.

I never got round to it .... I sent 3 emails asking for details and got no response whatsoever. Then I completely forgot about it.
I can't recall the contact details (taken from the website, so I wasn't emailing the 'wrong' person.
I might try again now you have mentioned it !

quote:

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The one thing that sticks in my mind from it is how little we as anglers actually know about fishery management

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it is a very popular misconception that becuase people can catch few fish and have been on this water and that . . that they are experts in fishery management . ..

If you say it was worthwhile then I will go for it . . .. another string to me bow . . at worst . . .

Jon et al

Not sure now who the IFM training secretary was in August 2003. The current incumbent is:

Steve Jupp, 172 Hawthorn Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 2UY. Tel: 01243 821950 (evenings; Mobile; 07713 176212; Email: s.jupp@ifm.org.uk