A meeting has been arranged with Defra on Monday 25th February 2008.

The meeting will take place at the NFSA head Office at Buckfastleigh at 7pm.

http://www.nfsa.org.uk

We would like Sea Anglers from the South West to meet Defra to talk and discuss the recent released Consultation on a Recreational Sea Angling (RSA) Strategy for England Document.

This is a very important document which can be looked up at Defra website www.defra.gov.uk and all RSA should send in their responses by 31 st March 2008.

The purpose of this meeting would be to help anglers prepare their responses and or to ask any questions they might have to Defra.

Please can I ask, that if you are or know of any interested parties who would like to attend this meeting, to contact David Rowe at the NFSA Head Office on 01364 644643 or E Mail dr@nfsa.org.uk

We would like to get some feel for numbers for this date, so please let us know as soon as possible.

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There's a comprehensive write-up of the meeting on Mike Concannon's website

'Meeting with Defra' down the page a bit at:

http://www.fishingdartmouth.co.uk/how_fishing.htm

Appears to be a waste of time. Defra are hearing you but refuse to listen. Still the same theme, carparks bogs and ramps. That is all they can offer 'cept pain and negativity. They have nothing to put on the table to enhance the rsa.

There was more to this meeting but Mike has said he couldn't put it all on his web site as it would turn into a dirge, his word and a good summary.

Weymouth has carparks, two toilets, don't know about the ramp but who wants one to go on a thirty footer, they use cranes down there.

Folkestone has carparks, ramp and a toilet.

Torquey, Paignton has numerous carparks, ramps and toilet's

Torquey has a massive ramp, it was built for the normandy landings, wonder if defra know about that one.

So i don't really want anymore mr defra man and you still won't listen. They could try and manage the carpark attendants though as most of them are offensive, perhaps even licence them.

This post has been edited by barry luxton: Feb 28 2008, 07:23 AM

Makes for interesting reading. After hanging around with NFSA and SACN at the Inshore Fisheries Working Group, Clark And Hutchings must have had a bit of a surprise when they met the countries real anglers. I wonder what sort of a response they will get on the rest of their "Would you like new toilets and a ramp" Tour.

So, Leon, do you still think that "it'll be alright on the night"? When people were expressing their concerns, valid concerns at that, about the RSA strategy, you said more than once that we weren't to worry because it was only a draft and we would all get to have our say when it came to the consultation. And now what do we find? Surprise of surpises, Defra aren't listening.Just think back a bit. According to you, you were right, everyone else was wrong, the RSA strategy was brilliant and Defra were our best friends. Your track record is appalling, and with friends like you and Defra, RSA doesn't need any more enemies.They are coming to my neck of the woods tonight Glenn, so I'll let you know.

Good luck with the carpark theme.

This is "Iron Spring" in North Yorkshire. It involves a 300 foot cliff decent and fishes best in the worst of winter weather. A toilet would be good, but the foundations might be a little difficult to dig. I would also like a 24 hour cafe so I can nip in for a coffee and a warm up in between casts. Can DEFRA Help ??







A stanner stairlift might be useful too.

This post has been edited by glennk: Feb 28 2008, 08:33 PM

That’s a good point, perhaps some toilets for our anglers (remember the fuss made when they shut the ones on church street) and some access for our disabled anglers so they could at least get onto the boats would be a start in Whitby?
I understand that it wouldn’t please all the people, but it would make me feel a bit better when applying for a licence.
Regards.

Tell us what the rsa are going to get in return for this licence.
Name the positives.

This post has been edited by barry luxton: Feb 28 2008, 09:15 PM

What a waste of time. For a start, I don't know whether it had anything to do with the last meeting they went to, but Defra sent a girl along to try to sell the strategy and answer our questions. Neither Trevor Hutchins, nor Anthony Hynes, bothered to turn up. So we all had to restrain our anger and frustration to a certain extent, which probably what they had hoped to achieve. One nil to Defra.

Having said that, we did criticise the strategy and the way it was conceived, written and taken forward without any real angler participation. We also questioned every point she tried to make about it, but to be honest, it was a bit like swinging at fresh air. There was just nothing there, and certainly nothing worthwhile coming back. Some very valid points were made, and some real good questions asked, by the anglers present, but at the end of the night we weren't really any the wiser. Two nil to Defra.

Defra seem so wide of the mark with their assumptions about angling, and anglers, that it made we wonder just what they have been told by those who have pushed this strategy through. It also amazes me how someone with no knowledge of sea angling can get up there and speak with authority on the subject, and hope to get away with it. The average age of the anglers there last night must have been well over 60. Most of them have fished all their lives, and yet here was a young lady whose only knowledge of sea angling is what she's been told by Leon & Co, (oh, and a token mackerel fishing trip they went on last year to show them just what sea angling is all about!), telling them what they want and need.

We had a rep there from Natural England too last night, (previously English Nature and known locally as Nasty Nature), trying to help sell the strategy. Nothing he said went down too well, especially the bit where he said that we might be able to have certain species of commercially unimportant fish, such as Mullet, managed for RSA.

There was obviously a lot more said, and I hope that a few others who were there will post their views on the meeting, but two very valid points that were made stick in my mind and they are; if sea anglers' licence money is used to provide car parks and launching ramps, etc, will they be free of charge for those who hold a valid sea angling licence, or will we be charged at the point of use too? , and; if Defra had done their jobs properly in the first place, and managed the fishery in a responsible manner, there wouldn't be any need for any of the management measures being discussed now, so why don't they just go away, start doing their jobs properly and leave everyone alone?

This post has been edited by Steve Coppolo: Feb 29 2008, 09:59 AM