A letter for you to puruse and cogitate over.....

[H.A.]

That makes sense Steve ....

 

as a commercial fisherman, you'd obviously prefer zero representation of anglers' viewpoints, eh?

 

On reflection, I'd prefer Leon as a representative for angling when compared to The Queen of the NFFO, eh?

 

In October last year W Stevenson and Sons, who were operating 24 beam trawlers out of Newlyn, warned their employees that vessels might have to be laid up or sold and that the workforce may have to be restructured.

 

[Leon Roskilly]

See story from today's Telegraph

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtm...6/eafish106.xml

 

(Jim Glasspool is also the Executive Director of FACT who along with Mark Lloyd from the ACA recently attended the Minister's meeting with RSA to discuss the bass mls decision - The disciplines are coming together.)

[Cranfield]

See story from today's Telegraph

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtm...6/eafish106.xml

 

(Jim Glasspool is also the Executive Director of FACT who along with Mark Lloyd from the ACA recently attended the Minister's meeting with RSA to discuss the bass mls decision - The disciplines are coming together.)

 

"4 million anglers about to get militant" and a picture of two chaps fishing a still water , with one of them wading.

[Barry Kneller]

I think the idea of a single entity to represent all anglers is a great idea, if it can be made to work - however, I would like to see a bit more representation for the normal coarse angler.

 

It appears from the proposal that, at the moment, the only representation for general coarse and specialist anglers is from the NFA, who from past experience, appear to be unable to organise a bunk-up in a bed factory, and only (supposedly....?) represent the interests of match anglers.

 

Are any of the specialist groups going to be represented here? i.e. the SAA, PAC etc.

 

Cheers

Barry

[Ian Burrett]

Although in principal it makes sense to have one governing body, it might be better for the organisations to come clean and state that the reason why there is a rush for a unified body is because Sport Scotland and Sport England have said they will no longer give handouts to different fractions of angling as they want to deal with one body.

 

In other words if the different disciplines don't amalgamate there will be no monies to run match angling.

 

My main concern is, there is enough confrontation within RSA already; adding the game and course boys into the melting pot makes it hard to see how harmony can ever be reached.

[Leon Roskilly]

Are any of the specialist groups going to be represented here? i.e. the SAA, PAC etc.

 

The Specialist Angling Alliance ( http://www.saauk.org/ ) is definitely in.

 

The PAC and a number of other specialist angling groups are currently represented within FACT through SAA membership.

 

I would expect that to continue when the SAA eventually becomes subsumed within the single body, and of course pike anglers, bass anglers etc will be able to individually join the new united organisation, although I imagine that PAC and BASS etc will retain their own identity within the existing specialist organisations.

Edited January 6, 2008 by Leon Roskilly

[glennk]

Might be different for fresh water but at the end of the day do the majority of sea anglers really care 2 hoots for this or any other organisation ?

[Guest challenge]

Might be different for fresh water but at the end of the day do the majority of sea anglers really care 2 hoots for this or any other organisation ?

Freshwater anglers never use to give a hoot for national organisations neither.

[big al]

surely it is the only way forward to have one body who can speak to sport england and the govt etc .also the reduction in admin cost alone would save a fortune .one body open to all anglers with benefits of joining .ie reduction in insurance costs etc makes great sense .hope the people involved can pull it off .cheers big al

[ShaunW]

I think an amalgamated body is a must in the present social environment of this country, every group from PETA, the RSPB and even commercial fishing interests seem better organised and more resourceful than angling bodies. My hope is that this super body does not leave us thousands of pleasure anglers behind and finds a way to get us involved.