Nigel Williams

[blackwater]

In response to Greg Long.

 

Again, re. the River Inny being “overrun” with Chub:

 

From the Shannon Fisheries Board website, www.shannon-fishery-board.ie

 

“In association with the Central Fisheries Board, the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board conducted a major stock assessment survey of the mid section of the River Inny in 2006. Chub ¬ a new species of freshwater coarse were located in the River Inny downstream from Ballymahon in Co. Longford. The Chub were located at a number of locations over a 2km section by the survey team from The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board. In all, over 30 fish were recorded ¬ both male and female.”

 

30 fish…….. 2kms of river.

 

An account of the procedure can also be found at www.innyangling.net in the September reports section.

 

Re. the repeated bizarre assertion that the River Inny is a Trout fishery:

 

Also from the Shannon Fisheries Board website

 

“While the River Inny today is described as a mixed fishery, it still holds good stocks of wild brown trout in some sections.” (my emphasis).

 

The same website affords trout fishing on the Inny a number of lines. It has to give nearly five pages to describe the coarse fishing.

 

Re. Lough Corrib:

 

You mentioned the Roach population in the lough, the clear inference being that it is detrimental to the trout population. Now, you are citing problems with feeder streams. Why then blame the roach in the first place. Why then are the Western Regional Fisheries Board netting the western loughs for roach and bream and dumping the catch in skips – as admitted by the Board in correspondence to Irish Angler magazine. (These being the same people who are to police the new by-laws protecting coarse fish stocks.)

 

Re: Catch & Release

 

There does appear to have been some Pauline conversion to C & R amongst the game fishing fraternity. The upshot being (as evidenced in your post) recently converted zealots delivering patronising sermons to those of us (coarse anglers) who have been returning our catch ever since we began to fish. And you have the nerve to ask me if I kill fish for deadbaits, while stating what levels of “cropping” are acceptable on the Western Loughs.

In these prosperous times more people are fishing in Ireland than ever before. The vast majority of these anglers are game anglers. The vast majority still kill their catch. To blame coarse fish species yet not admit the effect of man on stock levels is nonsense.

[Cranfield]

If people feel strongly about this issue, then they should email Masterline and the Angling Times and tell them that they will no longer purchase their products, all the time they support and sponser Nigel Williams.......I have.

Edited November 22, 2006 by Cranfield

[Dick Dastardly]

Colin W is quite right in what he says.

 

The arrogance of Williams is astounding but when you look at the whole thing you can see why.

 

Because he feels he is just the same as many of us who livebait and transport baits he obviously feels he is championing our cause.He is not championing mine as I see BIG differences as Ive wrote many times over the several related threads on this topic.

 

Why should he feel remorsefull he is still allowed to be the celebrity by the angling press.he still has all his related tackle deals.No one (who in his eyes) matters has really done anything to punnish him.

 

"His crime was getting caught" Yes I agree to a certain extent buteven though the real crime was what he did what has really done me is his arrogance in not just shutting the f..... up and keeping his head down till all of this has blown over.

 

Incidently if you look back at historical trends the landed gentry back in the 1800's did used to fish for Pke in both Scotland and Ireland as keenly as they did for Salmon and Trout and yes they did both introduce pike in various waters and transport huge amounts of live fish for bait.

 

There you go Greg theres a bone for you to show Im not totally against what you say!

[zedhead]

I agree with the calls for the AT to stop pushing his column in there (and bob nudd whilst thier at it!), whatever he says, ive made the biggest mistake of my life-too right but cos you realise it now doesnt mean to say you shouldnt face the consequences in my opinion. He knew full well he was breaking serious laws and disregarding all that should be held important by these so called stars of angling. he should be fined and stripped of his ea licence, and not published in any paper. And that is a load of cobblers who ever wrote it, that because hes a masterline consultant he's under pressure and so he has to break laws to get results...***locks, if he is such a good piker then he shouldnt need to break the law to fufill his sponsorship needs, nige is just a guy trying to make coin out of angling, and he dont care how he does it.

[BoozleBear]

If people feel strongly about this issue, then they should email Masterline and the Anglers Mail and tell them that they will no longer purchase their products, all the time the support and sponser Nigel Williams.......I have.

 

Have you got the e-mail addresses please?

[Dick Dastardly]

I agree with Bob about the difference between breaking rules and laws.We have these two different terms to indicate severity of the act.Breaking the rules would have been if he was livebaiting in Ireland where it is banned.I have NO problem at all in this as it is a stupid rule that has no founding in either common sense or science.Catching a few fish and using them as live bait would have caused no problems what so ever despite breaking a rule. I wont discuss the issue of actually taking baits with them as despite this in this sitution breaking the law it in itself could have been done safely and also legally.What I keep saying though is that the whole issue revolves around the breaking of a law namely trying to import a non indigenous species (or more acurately exporting a species to a country where they are not indigenous).This is extremely serious and therefore why it is a law Everyone (including Williams) seems to miss this.

[Dick Dastardly]

Im some what amazed that any one really thinks the Angling Press will "punnish" him! This whole issue is a right result for them,it sells papers! the more controversial the better.Look at how many non buyers on here have brought an issue or had a quick "browse" in Tesco's!

 

This is the same press who only recently awarded a prize to Peter Collins when he openly mocked his lack of proper punnishment when caught killing fish with set lines! He to was extremely remorsefull when first caught but all that went out of the window when he was let off so lightly.

 

The same press who have in the past chosen not to show any morals in preference to a "good story".

 

Williams is seemingly starting his "U" turn even before he has been to court! Yes who ever said it your right he aint to bright is he? if I was the prosecuter I would certainly present his recent comments in court to show the extent of his "remorse" when it came to the time to award the penalty.

[Cranfield]

Have you got the e-mail addresses please?

 

Firstly, I must apologise, I meant Angling Times and typed Anglers Mail, I think its an "age thing".

 

sales@masterline.co.uk

 

rich.lee@emap.com

[greg long]

In response to Greg Long.

 

Again, re. the River Inny being “overrun” with Chub:

 

From the Shannon Fisheries Board website, www.shannon-fishery-board.ie

 

“In association with the Central Fisheries Board, the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board conducted a major stock assessment survey of the mid section of the River Inny in 2006. Chub ¬ a new species of freshwater coarse were located in the River Inny downstream from Ballymahon in Co. Longford. The Chub were located at a number of locations over a 2km section by the survey team from The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board. In all, over 30 fish were recorded ¬ both male and female.”

 

30 fish…….. 2kms of river.

 

An account of the procedure can also be found at www.innyangling.net in the September reports section.

 

Re. the repeated bizarre assertion that the River Inny is a Trout fishery:

 

Also from the Shannon Fisheries Board website

 

“While the River Inny today is described as a mixed fishery, it still holds good stocks of wild brown trout in some sections.” (my emphasis).

 

The same website affords trout fishing on the Inny a number of lines. It has to give nearly five pages to describe the coarse fishing.

 

Re. Lough Corrib:

 

You mentioned the Roach population in the lough, the clear inference being that it is detrimental to the trout population. Now, you are citing problems with feeder streams. Why then blame the roach in the first place. Why then are the Western Regional Fisheries Board netting the western loughs for roach and bream and dumping the catch in skips – as admitted by the Board in correspondence to Irish Angler magazine. (These being the same people who are to police the new by-laws protecting coarse fish stocks.)

 

Re: Catch & Release

 

There does appear to have been some Pauline conversion to C & R amongst the game fishing fraternity. The upshot being (as evidenced in your post) recently converted zealots delivering patronising sermons to those of us (coarse anglers) who have been returning our catch ever since we began to fish. And you have the nerve to ask me if I kill fish for deadbaits, while stating what levels of “cropping” are acceptable on the Western Loughs.

In these prosperous times more people are fishing in Ireland than ever before. The vast majority of these anglers are game anglers. The vast majority still kill their catch. To blame coarse fish species yet not admit the effect of man on stock levels is nonsense.

 

Blackwater, you seem to have a problem with game anglers...I fish for both game fish and coarse fish...for years I fished almost totally for coarse fish. If you don't realise that non-native introductions damage ecosystems I am not going to bother trying to educate you. I do not 'blame' any single cause, the combination of factors creates a greater problem. As for the greater number of anglers killing thier catch..yes..and we have introduced bag limits to protect the coarse fish from them...how does that make them game anglers? I am not 'recently converted' I have been catching and releasing since the early 1970's, both trout and coarse fish. I am not a 'game angler' I am an ANGLER, I fish for many different species, Game, Coarse, and occaisionally Sea fish. I am also an environmentalist having studied environmental management in college prior to Art, the field in which I now work. My free time is spent educating people, mainly youngsters, about the benefits of looking after our waterways and trying to foster an interest in my sport. I also encourage catch and release, I was previously involved in the drift towards catch and release in trout competitions, where feasible (not feasible in small club competitions etc.) It is a sad fact that some competitive fishing means fish have to be killed, but also remember fish also die when packed into keepnets before you start throwing stones. I don't know how many 'game anglers' you know, but out of the fifty or sixty I know well, many release the majority of fish they catch. A fair percentage of them also put time in improving the fisheries they fish. Trout angling clubs put up stiles etc, clean the banks and the rivers (such as raking spawning beds), sadly most work done on coarse fisheries is done solely by the fishery boards..unless you know differently? I'd love to know if you do.

As for only 30 chub in a mile of river, for a non existent species I'd call that a lot of them. Added to the fact it was a survey, not a complete sweep of all fish and some were 2 or 3 lbs weight. Granted you will probably have great fun catching them in a few years, and maybe your 'mixed fishery' will be then classed as a coarse fishery.

ME, I'll continue trying to look after all our fisheries, both coarse and game, it's funny though, I had a meeting the other night about the shortage of pike appearing in a "mixed" fishery in recent years, 6 trout angling club members turned up, 4 specialised pike anglers, and two fishery managers, no representitive of the coarse anglers came along. A sad fact, not a condemnation incidently...

Edited November 22, 2006 by greg long

[greg long]

Here is the press release from the Shannon fishery Board re: Chub.

 

 

NEW SPECIES OF FRESHWATER COARSE FISH CONFIRMED IN IRELAND

Dated: 2nd July, 2006

 

 

 

 

Chub ­ a new species of freshwater coarse fish have been confirmed for the first time in Ireland. The new species were located in the River Inny downstream from Ballymahon in Co. Longford. The confirmation was made during a major fish stock assessment survey on the mid section of the Inny River undertaken by the Shannon Regional Fisheries Bard and the Central Fisheries Board.

 

The Chub were located at a number of locations over a 2 km section by the survey team from The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board who are currently working on the main River channel of the River Inny. In all, over 30 fish were recorded ­ both male and female.

 

Chub are silver in colour, and during their first and second years of growth resemble Roach in shape and colour ­ however the species do grow to 4lbs or 5 lbs with some reaching over 8lbs and at that stage have a very distinctive shape and colouring. These fish are not native to Ireland and were introduced, probably over the past two or three years.

 

Mr. Eamon Cusack, CEO of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board pointed out that Chub will create serious problems for our native Irish fish species such as Trout and other long introduced coarse fish such as Bream, as they are both predators and competitors.

 

Mr. Cusack stated that he was unsure as to how the Chub arrived in the Inny, but it is possible that the fish were transported here from England in a container ­ a highly illegal activity. It is part of a wider and expanding movement of fish, shellfish and plants which are causing serious difficulties in our rivers and lakes around the country. The Shannon Board is working with its colleagues in the other Fisheries Boards to seek the introduction of measures to prevent such occurrences.

 

The survey of the River Inny catchment has also shown some excellent stocks of Pike, Bream and Hybrids in sections south of Derravaragh.

 

 

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