The preaching of total catch and release is loosing conservation suporters.

[Leon Roskilly]

What makes it worse is the unwillingness shown after the announcement to complain strongly about what was obviously a very bad decision.

 

What you won't have seen Steve, is the very forthright correspondance sent to BB following the announcement.

 

Nor overheard the telphone conversation with a labour politician yesterday who will be bearding BB at the Labour Party Conference on this issue.

 

Nor a lot else that is going on all of the time.

 

 

It's up to you if you want to fear the worst about the efforts made by others.

 

 

All I would ask is that you double your own efforts to make sure that the messages that you want heard gets through in an effective way to the people that need to hear it, and encourage as many others to do so as possible.

 

Whatever your thoughts about the efforts of those acting in an organised way, it is the thunder from people like you and the millions of others that the politicians and fishery managers need to hear.

 

 

That is what is most missing, as the many leave it to the few to do anything.

 

Get on the phone, buy some stamps.

 

Whatever message they are getting from the organisations, they need to hear from you more, and from more of you.

[Steve Coppolo]

What you won't have seen Steve, is the very forthright correspondance sent to BB following the announcement.

 

Nor overheard the telphone conversation with a labour politician yesterday who will be bearding BB at the Labour Party Conference on this issue.

 

Nor a lot else that is going on all of the time.

 

Good Leon, I'm really glad to hear there's more going on than I know about. But why am I not aware of it? Are you keeping it secret for any good reason?

 

It's up to you if you want to fear the worst about the efforts made by others.

All I would ask is that you double your own efforts to make sure that the messages that you want heard gets through in an effective way to the people that need to hear it, and encourage as many others to do so as possible.

 

Easier said than done Leon. Yes I can write to politicians, etc, to get my message across, but why is it too much to ask that sea angling representative bodies also listen? Unless you are one of the select few, you are kept out in the cold. Being kept informed of what other people are saying on my behalf isn't the same as having some input on what is being said. It all comes down to that same old sticking point. There are some sea angling reps who believe that they know best, when in fact they don't. Their unwillingness to listen to other points of view just gets my back up even more. RSA has a wealth of valuable resources available to it, but I don't think they are being used to their best advantage.

 

Whatever your thoughts about the efforts of those acting in an organised way, it is the thunder from people like you and the millions of others that the politicians and fishery managers need to hear.

That is what is most missing, as the many leave it to the few to do anything.

 

Get on the phone, buy some stamps.

 

No Leon, this is what I'm getting at. A lot of people have been making phone calls and buying stamps, but it's those that get to speak to the decision makers at meetings, etc, that have the most influence. What's wrong with those same people actually representing us at these meetings? Why can't you go to the meetings with a mandate from grass roots anglers instead of going with your own agenda? Again, I believe it's this "we know best" attitude coming into play.

 

Whatever message they are getting from the organisations, they need to hear from you more, and from more of you.

 

I agree, but they need to hear the views of grass roots anglers brought up at the meetings too. I've felt for some time now, and I believe I've written it on here in the past, that apart from the few who get to talk to the decision makers, the rest of us are given a pat on the head and told to go and stand over there out of the way, write some letters and make a few phone calls. That's all very well if the desired results are being achieved, but they are not!

 

All I ask is that you don't waste valuable knowledge, experience and fresh ideas. This sport is bigger than any one of us. There isn't room for self interest if we are to protect and improve it in the future.

[bass catcher]

It's true that the vast majority of sea anglers don't know what is going on behind the scenes, but can you blame them for that? I would say that most don't buy the sea angling magazines, don't look at the sea angling forums, and don't belong to the NFSA.

 

Break it down a bit further. Most don't read the magazines, so the little bit of info that does get into them, doesn't get through to the majority of sea anglers.

 

Most don't read the sea angling forums, so all the info available on them doesn't get through to the majority of anglers. But even so, you've only got to read one or two threads on this forum to realise that not everyone is happy with the way things seem to be going.

 

Most don't belong to the NFSA, so even if the NFSA kept it's members informed and asked how they wanted to be represented, the vast majority of sea anglers would't have a clue what's going on.

 

There are a lot of different opinions within this one forum, so no doubt there are even more that we haven't even heard. Does that mean they shouldn't be taken into account? Is it the anglers' fault that they aren't being represented as they would like, because they haven't gone looking for the information?

 

1,000,000 is a lot of anglers. They have been used to point out to the politicians how big and important sea angling is, so is it right that their views are dismissed as unimportant because they don't buy a magazine, join the NFSA, look at forums or take part in a consultation?

 

I would say that the majority of anglers would be horrified if they knew what was being proposed and discussed behind the scenes, and if anyone doubts that, have a walk along any pier on a sunday afternoon and ask them what they think about all these proposed measures.

I fail to see what relevance it has wether a sea angler buys magazines or not.They are all full of dross and just repeated monthly year after year with an ever increase in advertisements.If you ask me the people who don't buy them are the clever ones and probably the ones that don't need to be involved with any club to enhance there fishing. Do you really think that RSA are damaging the fish stocks,i catch a lot of bass and i would say that 90% are returned only to be netted further along the shore.So you would say that i have done my bit for conservation but when you hear of a pair trawler taking 20 tons of bass a day,then i'm afraid that it's one step forward and 10 back.Bass mls and bag limits,ha we can't even police our streets how the hell are we going to police these???

[stavey]

Quote from steve,

 

No Leon, this is what I'm getting at. A lot of people have been making phone calls and buying stamps, but it's those that get to speak to the decision makers at meetings, etc, that have the most influence. What's wrong with those same people actually representing us at these meetings? Why can't you go to the meetings with a mandate from grass roots anglers instead of going with your own agenda? Again, I believe it's this "we know best" attitude coming into play.

 

I would go along with those sentiments steve, but as far as the bmp and this mls increased nonsense, we were asked to back what BASS and its selected members had put together and their agenda, hence maybe thats why the desired responce was not quite achieved dont know for sure? its happening again as regards the tope etc, or am i wrong? i have said on this forum that what is needed is some sort of survey to be carried out and made available to all the sea anglers in this country on what they would like to see done! atleast that way they would be being asked and not told, it could also be the reason why a lot of the local anglers on my patch were'nt that much interested about the bmp and conservation etc? i have said they were lazy apathetic people but i could be wrong yet again, i would like to be, cheers...............

[Steve Coppolo]

i have said on this forum that what is needed is some sort of survey to be carried out and made available to all the sea anglers in this country on what they would like to see done! atleast that way they would be being asked and not told,

 

A survey would be an excellent idea. You wouldn't even need to cover every sea angler in the country, just a good cross section. Surely it would be better to go to a meeting and say, "The sea anglers of this country want this, this, this and this. They won't settle for less than that, and you can forget the other. If you want the angling vote, you know what you have to do.", rather than saying "I'd like this to happen please, but don't worry too much if it can't be done, I'll understand".

 

I think this could be done, even through anglers net if need be. Just a simple list of questions with tick boxes. Walk along some piers and beaches around the country, anglers net members cover more or less the whole country, and talk to the grass roots sea anglers. At least that way the representative bodies could say that they are representing the countries sea anglers and not just themselves.

[Guest CJS2]

Its all getting very boring . . . again . . . when will any one accept that those who are doing the shouting are in a minority . . . in the main could be pigion holed as anoraks, frustrated politiciand and county coucilors, no one listens to anoraks etc!!! Sorry, but thats the fact, or certainly, as one looking frome the outside in, the way I see it.

 

Most sea anglers dont want to be told 'what and how' to be 'Sea Anglers'. You, the minority are not listening, you must promote Sea Angling to Sea Anglers, get them excited about their chosen hobby, where it is . . . and where it could be . . . then you might have half a chance of impressing the political powers that be.

 

You need the 500,000 . . . 250,000 . . . 125,000? voices as support. The damp squib I here, amounts to a handful!, yes I said "a handful". The whole thing has degenerated into a frustrated political farce.

 

Its the fishing equivalent of 'Dragons Den'. Its business, and I dont see any skilled business presentations. Frankly, I would not put my name to the half baked, unimaginative, ego seeking, and frustrated non negotiation I have read in these pages over the past months. You need professional help, surly there is someone in your 1000,000 sea anglers, that has the marketing skills to bail you out?

 

Who said, "we would not want you", thats just fine by me!!! The Cod season is just around the corner

 

[stavey]

Its all getting very boring . . . again . . . when will any one accept that those who are doing the shouting are in a minority . . . in the main could be pigion holed as anoraks, frustrated politiciand and county coucilors, no one listens to anoraks etc!!! Sorry, but thats the fact, or certainly, as one looking frome the outside in, the way I see it.

 

Most sea anglers dont want to be told 'what and how' to be 'Sea Anglers'. You, the minority are not listening, you must promote Sea Angling to Sea Anglers, get them excited about their chosen hobby, where it is . . . and where it could be . . . then you might have half a chance of impressing the political powers that be.

 

You need the 500,000 . . . 250,000 . . . 125,000? voices as support. The damp squib I here, amounts to a handful!, yes I said "a handful". The whole thing has degenerated into a frustrated political farce.

 

Its the fishing equivalent of 'Dragons Den'. Its business, and I dont see any skilled business presentations. Frankly, I would not put my name to the half baked, unimaginative, ego seeking, and frustrated non negotiation I have read in these pages over the past months. You need professional help, surly there is someone in your 1000,000 sea anglers, that has the marketing skills to bail you out?

 

Who said, "we would not want you", thats just fine by me!!! The Cod season is just around the corner

 

 

Hello cliff

 

Would you be interested in some sort of survey then? do you think it would be a good idea as steve said?

[glennk]

TAlking of doubling our efforts

 

Wish I had a pound for everytime I had emailed BB, Defra,cefas,Ices in the past month. And guess what. To date I have not 1 reply

[Guest CJS2]

Hello cliff

 

Would you be interested in some sort of survey then? do you think it would be a good idea as steve said?

 

I have said my bit enough times now. Cut it and chew it as many times as you like, its still the same. One more time . . . get professional marketing help, then, we might see a true move forward to the benefit of all concerned, insted of this constant bickering, going round in circles, with the inevitable 'disappearing where the sun never shines'.

 

All this bickering, refusal to see the obvious rout forward, what a shower! By the way that hand-full i referd to, a few months back it was two hand-fulls, has no one noticed the number of names rarely if ever appear now, there are others who are obviously becoming disillusioned. Soon you will be down to a hand-full with fingers to spare!

 

[Stoaty]

I fail to see what relevance it has wether a sea angler buys magazines or not.They are all full of dross and just repeated monthly year after year with an ever increase in advertisements.If you ask me the people who don't buy them are the clever ones and probably the ones that don't need to be involved with any club to enhance there fishing.

Most accurate thing said on this thread.

 

Its all getting very boring . . . again . . . when will any one accept that those who are doing the shouting are in a minority . . . in the main could be pigion holed as anoraks, frustrated politiciand and county coucilors, no one listens to anoraks etc!!! Sorry, but thats the fact, or certainly, as one looking frome the outside in, the way I see it.

 

CJS you are the voice of reason on here.

 

Can we not get back to some threads about fishing, hints, tips, tackle reviews, you know angling stuff, what we do to relax.