A Recreational Sea Angling Strategy

[nick]

Given that there seems to be a fair amount of ill feeling at present regarding the DEFRA RSA Strategy document, I would be very interested to see individuals views of what you believe an RSA strategy should look like.

 

Please give answers which are genuinely strategic, and not a list of "I don't wants", quite simply that is not a strategy.

 

It would probably be helpful to structure it in such a way that it broadly mirrors the DEFRA document.

 

Aims of the Strategy

 

Possible methods than can be used to achieve those aims

 

How to measure the achivement of those aims

 

I look forward to your comments.

[stavey]

Given that there seems to be a fair amount of ill feeling at present regarding the DEFRA RSA Strategy document, I would be very interested to see individuals views of what you believe an RSA strategy should look like.

 

Please give answers which are genuinely strategic, and not a list of "I don't wants", quite simply that is not a strategy.

 

It would probably be helpful to structure it in such a way that it broadly mirrors the DEFRA document.

 

Aims of the Strategy

 

Possible methods than can be used to achieve those aims

 

How to measure the achivement of those aims

 

I look forward to your comments.

 

 

Hi nick

 

As you are aware i am not very politically educated so apologies in advance, but i do understand the slowly slowly catchy monkey idea of it all but this whole strategy mullarkey has no real chance of obtaining any real benefits to the rsa over the next decade or so (even if governments change) it may be possible to get the odd mls increase on a select few fish and net increase but in my area its to late for such tiny measures to make any difference what so ever to improve the quality of the rsa off the beach, the diversity of rsa makes a national strategy unworkable imo, maybe several regional strategy's would be a better idea? i dont know if that is possible in politics is it? cheers.......

[nick]

Thanks Stavey.

 

There's going to be one whether we like it or not.

 

What I am interested in is what people would like to see. So maybe from what you've written above I could just extract the fact that you believe there may need to be regional variations in the overall strategy.

 

Would you say that was a fair comment?

 

As far as I am aware the benefits are supposed to be derived from the measures put in place to achieve the strategic aims. Hence the suggested structure.

[glennk]

Regional strategy ???

 

Far more sensible, then people who actually know something about that area can actually work on it instead of having Leon Roskilly and 900 deciples without a mind of their own(never did get the true figure of sacn membership) insult us by saying they know what's best for us.

[nick]

Glenn, as one of the people that is complaing that your views are not being heard I would think it would be better if you could post something positive rather than just having another pop at some who works hard for RSA.

 

Additionally I see you have gone rather quite since I pointed out that Whitby Sea Anglers, YALASA, Filey etc are all officially consultees.

[glennk]

Hi Nick I have not gone quiet I chose not to get involved in that but seen as though you persist I will give you my answer to that point.

 

Whitby sea anglers association, and Filey sea angling society both made a response. I spent several hours consulting our club members and formulating one - unless I dreamt it we did respond - infact I have a copy of it in front of me as I speak. I also put a request from Nigel on my website asking people to respond, I made several posts in my forum asking people to respond and returned several times at different intervals prompting them to make a response. I put the same request out on the nesa website, the angling north east website, the world sea fishing forum north east website, cast and catch website, the north east angling news website. I sent a mass email to all my forums members asking them to respond. I posted the info on the yalasa forum and at the request of YALASA put the DRAFT rsa strategy on public show on the yalasa website. I racked my brains to think of as many places as possible to get the info out and get people to respond. Whilst I did that SACN hid themselves away claiming the RSA Draft was a private document (if so why did YALASA put it out???).

 

I am wondering what your point is Nick in pointing out that we are consultees ?

[nick]

My point is Glenn that you are complaing that your views are not being put forward.

 

DEFRA seem to disagree.

 

As the person that started the whole debate, and invited and encouraged everyone to get involved it seems strange that you choose not to respond to posts on the thread.

 

Additionaly I suspect, but don't know for a fact that it was DEFRA that asked for the draft strategy to be kept private for now. When asked to do so, it is good practise to do. Why YALASA chose to make it public I do not know.

[glennk]

As the person that started the whole debate, and invited and encouraged everyone to get involved it seems strange that you choose not to respond to posts on the thread.

 

There comes a time when its a waste of time. My point is made Nick. Our opinions differ - you will not change mine nor me yours. I posted my thoughts so people can see what I think SACN are up to.

 

 

Additionaly I suspect, but don't know for a fact that it was DEFRA that asked for the draft strategy to be kept private for now. When asked to do so, it is good practise to do. Why YALASA chose to make it public I do not know.

 

I only know what Leon has said. Then again that always seems to be the case.

 

I don't do secrets. This draft will effect all anglers and there fore all anglers should see it from draft through to completed document. It should be in sea angler magazine, it should be on every forum across the net it should be pinned to every pier and pontoon in the country. I dont care who said it should be kept quiet. It shouldn't.

 

If I input anymore to this topic please remind me that I said I wasn't going to.

[nick]

I am afraid that the real world does not work like that Glenn. There are rules which we have to abide by whether we like them or not.

 

Let us not forget that the document under discussion is a draft document which is being created to be distributed for consultation.

 

The whole idea behind this process is that the major protagonists get chance to compromise and achieve some sort of consensus position about the major aims of the document. There is no point starting the wide public consultation process from totally opposed standpoints. Nothing would be achieved by doing so.

 

When the public consultation starts is the time to argue very strongly for the measures you want, or do not want, to be used to achieve the aims of the document.

 

I say once again, nowhere in the whole draft document does it state that one of the aims is to introduce either bag limits or licences. They are merely listed as possible options to enable a particular purpose. If you can suggest ways to achieve the same purpose without either of those then say so.

[Ian Burrett]

It should be in sea angler magazine, it should be on every forum across the net it should be pinned to every pier and pontoon in the country.

 

Hi Glen

 

I agree with your above statement 100% and when it comes round to the strategy consultation I hope it will be. I can't see any point in having a million anglers involved with a draft and that's all it is at this stage. When the time comes every one will have a chance to have there say.

 

On a personal note Glen and without malice I think its time you moved on. Having ago at Leon and his "mindless disciples" (I'm proud to be one by the way)will not achieve anything. IMO You should now be working with similar minded people as yourself and developing a strategy for the North East, which is acceptable to all. There is no need for a regional strategy; regions differences should be included in the overall strategy.

 

As a mindless disciple I wrote the following extract on behalf of SOS's response to the draft strategy.

 

We believe that many decisions taken must be on a regional basis as different regions and by implication different species require different needs. Whilst the Golden Mile would undoubtedly help the anglers cause, on species like the Bass; a one rule suits all scenario, doesn’t necessary apply in large shallow bays or estuaries where the depth may be only a few feet, a mile from shore. Some of our members felt a minimum depth ban may be more suited to species like the rays that inhabit shallow sandbanks often a few miles offshore during the breeding season.

 

 

BAG LIMITS AND LICENSING

Whilst SOS fully supports the principle of compulsory catch and release on endangered species and bag limits as a conservation tool, this can only be supported if there is also a corresponding commercial restriction. There is no justification in asking anglers to return fish, if the stock levels are still dropping through commercial exploitation.

 

A few members brought up the absurd possibility that RSA's face the possibility of being criminalised for retaining say 6 fish where a commercial can retain 60,000 and discard a further high number of fish without prejudice.

 

It was felt by many of our members, that we couldn’t support a licensing scheme until such times that a strategy had been developed and more importantly, implemented and anglers could see an improvement in numbers and sizes of fish from the beaches.

 

Just out of interest can you see anything wrong with the above. As you are aware I personally encourage total catch and release on my boats but will fight for your rights to be able take fish. Its all about compromise, and accepting other people have a right to an opinion with being called mindless.

 

You obviously spend hours working on your beliefs, your enthusiasm and dedication is to be admired but it is time to produce something positive to present to Defra. I don't like "this and that" is not enough

 

 

 

A far bigger fear I suspect is looming from within the Eu. Member states have been asked to look into the volumes of fish that are being removed by illegal fishing methods like the Bass sellers from Torness power station, illegal gillnets, mullet beach catches etc. I believe they have also been asked to try and estimate RSA catches. Only my opinion but it is likely that the Eu will be looking to impose bag limits on anglers in the not to distant future, which will make any differences you have with the SACN seem insignificant.

 

Maybe the devil you know is better than the one you don't.