Drift Nets

[Hoppy]

These are worrying times again, whilst the cessastion of drift nets was welcomed, those in the know were always apprehensive, and guarded. It appears they were proved right.

Come back Stopnow.ie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoppy

[GETHYN]

17. 'We'll go to jail over drift net ban'

FISHERMEN in Kerry will return to sea this year and face going to jail in defiance of the ban on driftnet fishing for salmon.

Hundreds of fishermen and workers in the fish processing industry are facing an end to their livelihoods because of the government ban on driftnet fishing.

But a war at sea is now looming as fishermen in West Kerry are vowing to take to the seas, ignoring the ban and facing possible jail sentence in defence of their livelihoods.

But the authorities responsible for policing the seas and for implementing the ban are taking a no-nonsense approach to the fishermen's threat.

The simmering war at sea carries echoes of the bitter battle of 30 years ago when fishermen were pitted against authorities over illegal salmon fishing.


"It is illegal for anybody to fish for salmon without a licence and no licences will be issued this year, a Department of Marine spokesman told The Kerryman.

And the authority with most responsibility for policing the ban, the South West Regional Fisheries Board, said it will be working with the gardaí and the navy to ensure that the law is upheld.

Routine surveillances involving fisheries patrol vessels, the navy and air patrol will be used to ensure that driftnet salmon fishing is no longer a part of the fishing industry.

However, in Dingle last weekend, fishermen emerged from a day-long meeting on the ban in united voice. Despite calls for them to engage in meaningful talks about compensation and future options, they instead vowed to break the law and suffer the consequences. Fishermen were angry and frustrated over the loss of their livelihoods. They wanted to know why all salmon fishing wasn't banned and why they had to pay the price for declining stocks.

After a private and brief side-discussion on Saturday evening with the meeting chairman, TP Ó Conchúir, the fishermen decided they would return to sea and risk going to jail.

"They were disgusted to learn that they were not responsible for the decline in stocks when all the fingers were being pointed at them. They were sceptical about all the options for future prospects that were presented here today. So they've decided to go back to sea and face going to jail unless the Government comes up with something better for them," Mr Ó Conchúir said.

Aidan O'Connor and Ted Creedon

© The Kerryman

[Gwyniadun]

Scorned Irishmen weaned on the 'Guiness' is bad news, it will get worse before it gets better.

[wnion]

Mixed stock salmon fishing under any name

Written By: Niall Greene
On Date: 23/2/2007

This statement is a complete red herring (if you will pardon the pun). There is no proposal to return to mixed stock salmon fishing under any name. There is the remote theoretical possibility that drift netting could resume in some far distant future when all rivers are meeting their Conservation Limits and there is a harvestable surplus (a harvestable surplus which we would insist must be set at 100% probability of attaining the Conservation Limits not at the current level of 75%) on all river systems. That is unlikely to happen in our life time! Before then I suppose that it might happen in some of the very small number of large estuaries but again not unless all salmon rivers flowing into that estuary were meeting their Conservation Limits – again not a prospect that is likely to be seen in anything like the near future. And if those rivers were meeting and continued to meet their Conservation Limits what would be the problem with controlled, quota limited drift netting as well as angling and other commercial exploitation?

This kind of “the sky is falling” intervention can only result in a diversion of attention and energy way from the important task of maximizing the potential for restoring salmon abundance that lies within the Government decisions of last year. There is enough to engage us without worrying about what might theoretically happen in twenty years time.
Niall Greene

[GETHYN]

Concerns for proposed Salmon Regulations

Written By: Niall Greene
On Date: 26/2/2007

A lot of the comments below are written as if I were ADVOCATING the return of drift nets. I am not – I am simply stating how I see things. There is a well known constituental principle in democracies that a parliament cannot bind its successors. That principle and the return of widespread abundance could result in the return of drift netting in some far distant future. There is no way it can be stopped by legislative action now – not even a change in the Irish Constitution could prevent a future return of drift netting if the parliament of the day is so minded.



Michael refers to my “touching faith” in the efficacy of the existing ban. It is not touching faith – it is a hard nosed political assessment of where we stand. In the light of the application of the Habitats Directive, the EU Commission breathing down the neck of the Irish government, the report of the ISG and the possibility of the angling/conservation lobby going back to war there is no stomach in government for going back on the commitment to end drift netting. It’s over for the foreseeable future and probably for ever. In this regard it is worth remembering that Stop Now’s political assessment of the development of the Government’s policy towards the ending of drift netting has been consistently right.



The big, concrete issue now has nothing to do with tilting at the windmills of ever more improbable scenarios but how the Irish salmon fishery is to be managed towards future abundance and how we in Ireland are to draw on and combine all of the resources of the State and the private sector (in the sense that Orri uses that term) in furtherance of that objective.

Fighting about hypotheticals does not help build the cohesion in the private sector needed for meeting that challenge.
Niall Greene
Phone: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]

[GETHYN]

NASF Press Release ?

Written By: Bob Wemyss
On Date: 27/2/2007

I am still more than a little baffled by the statement from the NASF Coalition. Last May Orri was quoted in both the Irish Skipper and the Marine Times (both papers devoted to the commercial trawling and fishing industry - see their web site archives) as stating "The simple answer to everyone's problems is a voluntary buyout of the netting licences."
This was 3 months after our angling representatives on the National Salmon Commission had pushed through the motion which meant, de facto, that the drift nets were gone completely.

Had Orri's proposal been accepted then the very successful netters in Kerry and Donegal would still be with us and still carrying on mixed stock drift netting on the high seas.



If he and NASF were happy with that senario, then why do they have a problem with controlled single stock draft netting in estuaries?

And why do they have a problem with Irish draft netting when there are similar draft and other commercial estuary netting in many other North Atlantic countries?
Can someone unbaffle me please?
Bob [e-mail]

[wnion]

Concerns for proposed Salmon Regulations

Written By: Brian Marsahll
On Date: 28/2/2007

May I hesitantly add to to this discussion. A Government cannot bind it's successors but the EU Commission can and does bind successive administrations. In terms of 6 mile mixed stock fishing, Ireland cannot resume that until 'all' EU SAC's are in 'satisfactory condition' that is meeting their conservation limits. (tilting at windmills?)

An example; River Hampshire Avon in 2005 achieved ony 21% of CL. The sixth worst in the country. 2006 was no better but not published yet. Cefas officially predicts failure until at least 2010. Unnofficially little chance by 2015.

Only one English river is achieving; the River Fowey just scrapes in.

From this distant viewpoint, I am more worried about the Arctic feeding grounds moratorium than your countries resumption.
sincerely,Brian.

[Hoppy]

I wonder why the Fowey did better?

Perhaps it is the actions of Paul Eliot at Wainsford, selective stocking, habitat resoration etc.

I'm sure that The fowey should be regarded as one of the blueprints of fisheries management in the UK, a lot could be learned from groups who wish to make a change.

Well done Paul, Irene and Geoff - im sure that this performance is down to you!

H ;D

[peterross]

Is'nt it also possible that through the enhancement of a fishery, creation of new holding pools and increased access to the rivers fishability etc may give a distorted view of a rivers overall condition by merely creating the conditions where an increased percentage of fish that travel that river are caught?
Similarly when catch and release before 16th june came in catch returns and consequently the rivers conservation limits dropped merely because of the reduced angling effort.
Ian

[GETHYN]

NASF Press Release

Written By: Orri Vigfússon
On Date: 1/3/2007

It is easy to take outdated quotes out of context. NASF has always been against any form of netting when stocks are below Conservation Limits. Since 1991, NASF has promoted a voluntary buyout elements when stocks are above such limits and there are no legal means to close them otherwise. Draft nets as well as other types of coastal nets or estuary netscan easily be mixed stock fisheries if they intercept sub-populations of two or more rivers.

If more Irish people had accepted the NASF doctrine back in 1994, perhaps the stocks would have been in a much healthier shape today.
Sincerely,
Orri Vigfússon

[GETHYN]

Written By: Ken Cleary
On Date: 5/3/2007

John Browne T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, while opening the 2007 Irish Skipper Inshore Fisheries Expo in Galway today, announced details of the €30 Million hardship fund for commercial Salmon fishermen. The creation of this scheme was the key recommendation of the report by the Independent Working Group on Salmon, adopted by the Government late last year.

“I hope that this scheme will provide a measure of relief for those commercial salmon fishermen affected as a result of the Government’s adoption of the Independent Working Group’s report,” commented Minister Browne.
The hardship scheme will be widely advertised in the national media. A booklet detailing the scheme and including an application form will also be sent to all those who held commercial salmon fishing licences in 2006. Applications for the scheme can be made until 30th March 2007. Offers to applicants will be made shortly thereafter and licence holders will have until the end of the year to accept an offer from the scheme.

While addressing the Exposition, Minister Browne also spoke of the bright future he envisaged for the inshore sector; “The recently published Seafood Strategy offers us a blueprint for a promising future, based on strong socio-economic principals. I am convinced that the work we have all been doing over the last number of years has effectively put in place some of the most difficult foundation stones for the future viability and sustainability of the inshore sector.”

“I have ensured that two seats on the Implementation Group for the Seafood Strategy have been reserved for the inshore sector. This will mean that for the first time, Industry and State will be sitting around the same table discussing how inshore fishing livelihoods can be best protected.”

“The key to the future of the entire Irish seafood sector is sustainability, sustainability not only of stocks but also of fishermen and our coastal communities. The ultimate aim of any strategy must be to ensure that those in the industry can enjoy a decent living without compromising the sustainability of the stocks they fish. I firmly believe that we can achieve this and I am heartened by the constructive contribution Industry has made, and continues to make, in this difficult process,” concluded Minister Browne.
Under the hardship scheme opened today by Minister Browne, each fisherman will receive a payment equal to six times their average annual catch over the period 2001-2005, multiplied by the average price per salmon over the period (€23). Each fisherman will also receive a payment equal to six times the 2006 licence fee. The fund is normally available to all commercial salmon licence holders who held a licence for the 2006 season.


An additional €5 million fund will be available for a community support scheme. This support scheme is designed to aid the development of those communities where the impact of the cessation of drift netting will be hardest felt and provide alternative employment and economic opportunities for those affected. Details of this scheme will be announced shortly.


For further media information, please contact:-
Olive Stephens, Press Advisor [phone] / Mobile: [phone]
Ken Cleary, Press Officer: Office [phone] / Mobile: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

[wnion]

Truth about the Salmon

Written By: Orri Vigfusson
On Date: 9/3/2007

The North Atlantic Salmon Fund has been shocked by a baseless claim by Minister John Browne that it has failed to honour a promise to help fund the Irish driftnet buyout.
“No such promise has been given,” said NASF chairman Orri Vigfusson. “and the Irish government rejected NASF’s repeated proposals that it should help and advise the buyout process. We are not just payers. We are international players in salmon conservation.”

Over the last fifteen years the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) has brokered successful conservation partnerships with other governments on both sides of the Atlantic and provided generous financial compensation for salmon netsmen who have agreed to end their historic rights to harvest salmon.

Thanks to the fact that each and every project was professionally engineered these agreements in several different countries have proved to be envionmental, social and financial successes. They have earned the praise of thousands of netsmen throughout the North Atlantic.

Mr Vigfusson said: “ Several offers of NASF expertise and help were made in the last few years to successive Marine ministers in Ireland . Last year two further detailed offers were made, both to the three-man government-appointed Independent Group and to Minister Dempsey. Unfortunately. all our suggestions were either rejected or ignored, sometimes without even the courtesy of a reply.
“In acting in this way the Irish Marine Department clearly wished to demonstrate its belief that it was completely able to manage Irish salmon affairs without outside help. Instead of negotiating an acceptable outcome, Minister Dempsey chose to impose a buyout and to do so on terms of his own making.
“He now faces the fact that he has enraged the commercial salmon industry and that many Irish anglers are also extremely unhappy with his terms. NASF believes that this invidious situation would not have arisen if Minister Browne had been prepared to take NASF into his confidence.

"Had he adopted our repeated advice that it was imperative to negotiate acceptable compensation proposals with the netsmen he would not now be trying to shift blame on to us for his mistakes. It is a little late for him to want to involve NASF now.”

Last year, Mr Dempsey’s predecessor, Pat The Cope Gallagher, also made untrue statements about the NASF and left his post a few days later after Irish salmon scientists proved him wrong.

Below see full artcle in the Irish Times:
Lorna Siggins
Marine Correspondent

THE Government’s 30 million euro compensation package for driftet salmon fishermen may be topped up by an additional 5 million euro for affected coastal communities.

Minister of State John Browne said he hoped the additional sum would be allocated by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv.
Speaking at the opening of the Irish Skipper (italics) Expo in Galway yesterday (fri), Mr Browne said that 25 million euro would go directly to bona fide driftnet licence holders, and some 10 million euro would be administered to communities. This latter sum would be administered by Mr O Cuiv through existing Clar, Leader and Rapid initiatives.

The hardship fund was a key recommendation of the report by the Independent Working Group on Salmon, adopted by the Government late last year, Mr Browne. The driftnet ban has been signed into law under pressure from the European Commission, which said that it violated the EU Habitats Directive, and angling and environmental groups.
Some 1500 salmon catchers had hoped that the Government would support a voluntary buy-out, and warned of the impact on other inshore stocks if compensation was inadequate. Under the scheme, 25 million euro will be administered on Mr Browne’s department’s behalf by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), and details and application forms will be posted to all those who held commercial salmon fishing licenses in 2006, he said.

The fund will also be widely advertised in the national media, he said, with a closing date of March 30th. Offers will be issued “shortly therafter”, and successful applicants have until the end of the year to accept it, he said.

Under the scheme, each fisherman will receive a payment equal to six times their average annual catch over the period 2001-2005, multiplied by the average price per salmon over the period (€23). Each fisherman will also receive a payment equal to six times the 2006 licence fee.
The 10 million euro community support scheme is designed to aid the development of those communities where “the impact of the cessation of drift netting will be hardest felt, and provide alternative employment and economic opportunities for those affected”, Mr Browne said.

Mr Browne said that he was disappointed that promises by Icelandic businessman Orri Vigfusson of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) to give financial support to the buy-out had not materialised. He also rejected claims made by Mr Vigfusson and anglers’ groups last month (feb) that the Government was “backtracking” by allowing driftnet licence holders to fish under draft net licences.
“Draft net licence holders do not have to accept this buy-out,”Mr Browne said. “However,if sufficient draft net licence holders do apply for compensation,and there are new applicants for these licences in areas where the stock recovers, there is no reason why these cannot be former driftnet catchers,”Mr Browne said.

[wnion]

Truth about the Salmon

Written By: Bob Wemyss Wemyss
On Date: 13/3/2007

Can I be very explicit about the run-up to the National Salmon Commission meeting last February. It was the considered opinion of NARA, Recreational Anglers,TAFI, part of FISSTA, Stop Now and all the angling members of the Salmon Commission (apart from Noel Carr) that we could not remove the drift nets in 2006 without a compensation package in place. We agreed that we would try for the removal of the drift nets in total by 2007 and so it has transpired. Noel still believes that he is correct and everyone else is wrong. For my part, I warned him on the day before the vote that if he gambled with the stocks of salmon in the South East, he would face the consequences. At the NSC meeting he couldn't vote for the removal of drift nets in 2006 because that motion was not on the table. When it came to voting for their removal in 2007, he choose to abstain and, but for the support of 2 fishery managers, we would have lost the motion and be back to square one. Consequently whenever Noel goes to print on matters salmon I feel obliged to remind everyone that when we needed his support, he sat on his hands.

[wnion]

Drift Nets

Written By: Brian Marshall
On Date: 13/3/2007

I am away from home. The opening statement in John Murphy's e-mail of 10th March - 10.31 is wrong.20% of only one drift net operation is still working. There are no other mixed stock remaining in U.K.. They have been bought out, in perpetuity, on a voluntary basis by private/public partnerships. So have many draft net operations. The 80% N.E. buy out was P/P. The U.K. has never used the quota system. Exploitation is controlled by net limitation orders issued by Defra, and enforced by the Environment Agency. The remaining N.E. drift nets exploit fish largely from the Tyne, Coquet, and Wear. All are exceeding their C.L.s They also take some fish from Eastern Scottish rivers. That means that as the last nets retire or give up their licence, it will never be re-issued. De facto the operation is closing. I have made sure that the E. U. are, of course, aware. Both D.G. Fish and D.G. Environment have examined the matter based on data I have provided., obtained from E.A., C.E.F.A.S., S.E.P.A., et al. Their initial response is that the operation would be classed as de minimis.

[wnion]

SALMON AND TROUT CONSERVATION

Written By: John Browne
On Date: 11/5/2007

(DRIFT NETS, SNAP NETS AND OTHER ENGINES) BYE-LAW NO. 822, 2007 I, John Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 9 (as amended by section 3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1962 (No. 31 of 1962)) of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 (No. 14 of 1959), section 33 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1962, the Fisheries (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1977 (S.I. No. 30 of 1977) (as adapted by the Marine and Natural Resources (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 307 of 2002)), the Marine (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 82 of 2006) and the Marine (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 4) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 543 of 2006) and having complied with the requirements of Regulation 31 of the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 94 of 1997), hereby make the following bye-law:


1. (1) This Bye-law may be cited as the Salmon and Trout Conservation (Drift Nets, Snap Nets and Other Engines) Bye-law No. 822, 2007.

(2) This Bye-law comes into operation on 12 May 2007.


2. In this Bye-law -

“drift net” means a single sheet of netting attached to a floating head rope and a weighted ground rope, designed to drift freely at the surface of waters for the purpose of fishing to which net or ropes no weights or anchoring devices ate attached which in any way hinder or prevent the free movement of the net in those waters;

“other engine” means any fishing engine not being a drift net, a draft net, a snap net, box, or a rod and line, capable of being used for the purpose of fishing for salmon or sea trout;

“snap net” means a single wall of netting attached to a floating head rope and a weighted ground rope, designed to suspend between two boats and into which the catch is drawn, for the purpose of fishing.


3. Notwithstanding anything contained in any bye-law fixing the annual close season for salmon or trout in any locality, it is prohibited to take or to fish for, or to attempt to take or to fish for, salmon or trout with a drift net, snap net or other engine, or to aid or assist in such taking, fishing or attempting in any fishery district in any year.



4. It is prohibited -

(a) to have on board any boat, or

(b) to have in or on any vehicle, or otherwise,

with the intention of taking or fishing for, or attempting to take or to fish for, salmon or trout, a drift net, snap net or other engine in a fishery district.

GIVEN under my hand,
8 May 2007.



John Browne
John Browne,
Minister of State at the Department of
Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.




EXPLANATORY NOTE


(This is not part of the Bye-law and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

This Bye-Law prohibits drift Net, Snap Net and Other Engine fishing for salmon and trout (salmon includes sea trout as defined in the Fisheries Consolidation Act 1959) in all fishery districts. The Bye Law also prohibits having on board a boat or vehicle these nets with the intention of fishing for salmon or trout.

FOOTNOTE


Section 11 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959 provides that any person aggrieved by this Bye-law may within 28 days after its publication in the Irish Oifigiuil, appeal against same to the High Court.