Lead by example, practice what you preach and not do as I say not as I do!
We can't request quotas and bag limits for commercials if we dont do our bit and take the high ground - personally if bag limits mean't that there will be mountains more fish and growing not just sustainable stocks in 10 years, then I am for them.
If you look at countries like Canada and NZ who have strick limits, they also have great stocks of fish and superb sport fishing!
"It is a well-known fact that RSA have a very small impact on the overall stock" - are there scientific papers? If so I woudl be interested in seeing them.
Rob
Some great points lads and thanks for looking at the idea from a new view point. To answer some of your points
Bob
I respect and mostly agree with your views however I do have certain issues with your .org
1. Who asked you to be representative of anglers and where does your mandate come from
2.
The aim of which is to serve as a voice for anglers
Why is it that you only take notice of those that pay on your .org
3. How can you be representative with such a small membership
This club is affiliated to the angling trust, are you saying that we should also be affilliated to you so we may have a voice on your .org? Why not get involved with our national association who may not be perfect but do have a larger following. I feel you maybe diluting the representation we already have.
Martin
Some great points lads and thanks for looking at the idea from a new view point. To answer some of your points
Hello again guys Peter Russell has told me I come across like some headmaster type talking to naughty children, I hope you don
Welcome to the forum Bob.
Now try telling an angler wanting a day
Hi Paul and thanks for the welcome, my reference on Cod was about the North East Coast ports. All angling in the area is reliant on the Cod stock and angling groups flock there keeping these ports vibrant, yes you will hear the same argument as has been suggested here about the Bass and the black market which I do not support none the less it is down to a numbers shout.
Just a couple of years ago the Cod were thick on the brittle star ground in your area and it would be impossible for rsa to fish them out now they appear to have moved west where a few years ago we would be lucky to see one or two in a year now it is one or two a drift. Year on year neat the Channel Islands the Bass are targeted and again no impact from anglers. However along comes the French and Spanish pair trawlers and wham millions of fish gone, even the wrecks would be hard to fish out by rod and line but a few gill nets and there go all the bigger fish.
So Paul to conclude I don
Bob.
Why is it that you have chosen to break from the Angling trust rather than use your influence to increase the Sea angling representation in this organisation?
Creating splinter groups is going back to what it used to be like under the NFSA and that did very little for us.
Causing division within angling plays right into the commercials hands and weakens our position in terms of numbers
PJ
Paul this is off topic and I have no wish to cause any problems but if you and your mods don
I think there are many that have voices similar reservations concerning the AT within our own club Bob, and well done to you for "putting your money where your mouth is":
I for one would be interested in knowing what you think you can do and how you think you can do it when everyone else has failed so miserably.
Incidentally I did join your forum some time ago but never progressed to the "pay" status as although you were all very friendly and some seemed very knowledgable you were very limited at the time with very few (if any) posters from down this area.
Many thanks Little Sal I would like to think RSA-UK can give sea angling and anglers a voice. Getting it all together and having anglers gel on important issues would be a start. We have already upset the apple cart with some but have a very long way to go yet.
None the less we are recognised as a player, or to give it the official term we are a stakeholder and can talk to DEFRA and there closely aligned CEFAS outfit. How much impact we can have has yet to be tested, but the ideas are there and questions are being asked.
Back in March I attended the annual fishing summit which hither to I had no idea had even existed, this was a part of my MMO IFCA duties and it was clear that many of the delegates from the marine side of angling wanted a summit of their own.
That idea I ran by DEFRA and the result is they would welcome one that would provide some substance on which they could base the advice they are duty bound to provide the government. It has to be more than a talking shop they said and that is just one idea on which we now working on.
Sal so many like you have joined the org but as you say the post are few and I can only assume that it is a result of politics being an uninteresting subject for most. Frankly we need input from anglers and I
Bob,
Welcome to the forum and thanks for your forthright views.
I understand and recognise the no regulation, government will inevitably screw us point of view because I have heard it before from both the sailing and salmon fishing communities.
As it happens, I don't agree with the 'it has been unregulated forever so why bring in regulation argument' for two reasons:
Firstly, the world moves on, initially there was no regulation in air traffic because there were few enough planes for it not to be needed, now it is accepted that it is needed for the safe execution of air travel.
Secondly, and perhaps more pertinently to this forum, lack of regulation succeeded in wiping out the cod in off the Grand Banks, the herring in the North Sea and nearly the salmon around the Uk. We are now in the happy position of salmon stocks slowly returning thanks to salmon anglers putting back most of what they catch, the herring are slowly returning to the North Sea and even the odd cod is being caught off the Grand Banks. I'm not saying that any of the measures were or are perfect but the regulations seem to be having the right effect.
Taking your point regarding charter skippers, in the US the Florida rsa Market almost collapsed 15 years ago because of high take of fish by both commercial and rsa. Now both are regulated, netting is no longer allowed around parts of the coast and anglers are limited to a certain number of fish they can take a day. Result? Last time I looked there are more rsa skippers and anglers.
I understand your concerns re rsa skippers and their ongoing livelihoods and would ask whether you want a short term gain for a long term pain ie reduced or no stocks for rsa to fish for?
As others have said we, around here, have specific problems with rsa overfishing of bass and bream and fear for our long term sport. We used to have a fantastic shark fishery off the IoW until the majority were killed by rsas in the 70s.
I can't support your version of an rsa vision until you start to talk about evidence not rights. Apologies if I have misread your message but I just didn't see any talk of how we know if rsas are having an impact or not. I don't know and am not prepared to just hope that you are right. You may be but if you are wrong, I don't want to have to explain to my two grandsons that the fishing used to be great but now it has all gone.
(snip)In your area of Poole you have an IFCA that seems from what I
Hi ya Chris again thanks for the welcome, talking about fishing is next best to getting out and catching a few in my book.
You know I thought just like you only what, just four years ago, after seeing the film
I see you have a Quota vote.
Yes I'm in favour of restrictions.
BUT as anyone will confirm, I don't get out very often. If someone want's to limit any fish that I may catch, ( I very rarely catch anything ) then I will oppose it.
I do not pose any threat to fish stocks ( I just feed them )
Somehow the rules need to be worked out to allow for people like Me. ? ? ?
Jim