Article in "Longford News", dated 18th April 2003

"Boycott of fishing waters launched "
By Conor Mc Hugh

A fishing organisation has called for a boycott of a large number of waters in the Longford area.

The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs intends to distribute a flyer urging it's members and other anglers not to use the rivers or lakes.
They say this is the first step in a campaign of opposition, "towards the recent introduction of the coarse angling permit by the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board on their "Managed Waters".
The "Managed Waters" referred to are the River Suck and Loughs Hollygrove, Loung and Doo; River Inny and Loughs Sheelin, Kinale, Derravaragh, Owel, Ennell, Ballinafid, Mc Evoy's, Slevins, Sheever, Iron; Rivers Brosna and Little Brosna.
The flyer features three photographs of dead fish found in the gill nets used by the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board to cull Pike on Lough Sheelin.
The headline reads: "Did you pay for this?" a reference to a newly introduced fee of 35Euro licence fee that coarse fishers must now pay to the SRFB.
The SRFB claim that gill netting is being done to protect Trout stocks in the lake, which they want to preserve as a Brown Trout area, but the IFPAC opposes the cull, saying it is pollution, not Pike that is affecting the Brown Trout.
They also point out that the gill nets are indiscriminate, and don't just kill Pike, but also the Trout they are intended to protect.
The boycott, they argue, will secure a fair deal for coarse and pike anglers.

In the flier, they point out: "We are expected to pay €35 to fish waters where our fees may be used to fund gill netting and killing of the very fish we want to catch;

Angling tourist visitor numbers have plummeted from 170,000 in 1996 to 89,000 in 2000;

We believe that this extra cost on visiting anglers may lead to a further decrease in visitors;

"Some of the Shannon Board's 'managed waters' where pike and coarse fish are killed hold huge numbers of specimen and record coarse fish. "An example would be the specimen and record roach of 5lbs 4oz netted and killed on Lough Ennell in 2002.
"There should be a cessation of the removal of these valuable fish and these waters should be developed to their best potential in the local and national interest."

And organisers of the boycott have urged the public to write the members of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board as well as other public representatives to inform them of your views on their coarse permit.


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