Tweet
Combined press release issued on behalf of the Sea Anglers Conservation Network SACN and the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers (SFSA)
SACN contact: Ian Burrett, tel. 01776 840 346 or ianburrett@btinternet.com
SFSA contact Barry Scholes tel. 01465 716974 or barry.scholes@gentechsensors.com
Scottish sea anglers outraged by fisheries minister’s statement
The Sea Anglers conservation Network and the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers are outraged at the Scottish fisheries minister’s recent statement concerning the future of their sport.
Buoyed by government commissioned reports emanating from England showing that in England and Wales there are over 1 million sea anglers participating in a Recreational Sea Angling Sector (RSA) with a worth of over £1 billion to the economy, and by positive engagement of the RSA sector by the English and Welsh administrations, Scottish Sea Anglers saw an opportunity to convince the Scottish Administration that it would be a worthwhile investment to improve Scottish Sea Angling.
With probably some of the best sea angling still available in the British Isles and already employing thousands of people in servicing the Scottish RSA sector: Angling Charter Boats, Angling Guides, Bait and Tackle suppliers, as well as the spending of visiting anglers in hotels and restaurants, the Scottish RSA sector is capable of producing significant growth, often in rural coastal areas where it is rare to be able to achieve growth without significant environmental degradation.
Early approaches to politicians and managers led to considerable optimism, as they saw what had been accomplished by growing the RSA sector elsewhere, not only in such places as the United States, Australia and a number of other countries, but closer to home in Ireland and Wales, both competing fiercely with Scotland for that valuable economic input of visitors attracted at least in part by the opportunity of a great Sea Angling experience during a family holiday in the most beautiful of places.
However, Scotland is burdened by being home to the greater part of the still declining remnants of the UK fishing industry who are long used to maintaining a grip on the affairs of Scotland in order to serve their interests whilst maintaining an exclusive access to Scotland\'s diminishing marine resources.
Faced with the opportunity of developing an already valuable sector capable of significant growth, yet still politically weak, against the political need to be seen to be supporting a traditionally politically powerful sector that long ago reached the height of its economic worth, Scottish Minister Ross Finnie made his choice.
Half promises made to the emerging RSA sector, and previous words of encouragement seemed to have now faded away like a mist from the glens.
Although the opportunity for Angler involvement in the Inshore Fisheries Group (IFG) was mooted earlier, in a recent letter to Alex Fergusson MSP, Ross Finnie (referring to the Executive’s Strategic Framework for Inshore Fisheries) has written
“However I must stress that the Strategy’s primary concern is commercial, not recreational, sea fishing and an Inshore Fisheries Groups executive committee – tasked with developing management plans for the area’s commercial fisheries – will be made up exclusively of commercial fishing representatives”
Ian Burrett who runs three charter boats from Drummore, South west Scotland said “It is ridiculous that we are not being invited to attend the Inshore advisory groups as our counterparts in England and Wales are. Defra and many countries around the world treat recreation sea anglers as major stakeholders in inshore stock management.
And although Mr Finnie had previously suggested that the path for RSA to follow would be through Tourism, he goes on to write
“VisitScotland – the national tourism organisation – does not consider RSA to be a large contributor to the sector, so has no plans for further sector development”
Barry Scholes Press Officer for the SFSA said “This is not even true, as the SFSA has been working with VisitScotland for 2 years and Mr Finnie’s comment could wreck all the good work that has been done. We need to do something quickly before it is too late.”
(Early suggestions that a Scottish study should take place on the value of the RSA sector to Scotland were originally greeted favourably, especially in the light of similar studies undertaken in England and Wales that showed that the RSA sector rivalled the catching sector in terms of value and employment, and with much greater levels of participation. But perhaps knowing that such a study would reveal the true value of RSA in Scotland, any thoughts of such a study to learn the truth seem to have been abandoned in the knowledge of how many waves that could make).
So it seems that Finnie has been warned off, perhaps by a catching sector terrified of the emerging growth of an RSA sector that puts fish stock conservation at the heart of its reasoning (an increasing number of sea anglers are routinely returning most of what they catch and are actively engaged in the conservation of many Scottish species such as a number of sharks, skates and rays, of huge value to the recreational fishery alive not dead).
However, Mr Finnie’s easy dismissal of the aspirations of the sector has seemingly served to fuel an anger that even he is probably unprepared for.
In what could be the beginning of an avalanche of criticism, major tackle manufacturer Penn Trading has sent a scathing response to the Minister.
David Caulfield, the General Manager, writes:
“I am completely aghast at several of your comments, and would like to take some time to enlighten you as to the facts, rather than the hearsay which you have apparently reproduced in your correspondence.”
There are many people in Scotland who find an enhanced sense of wellbeing from being able to enjoy a traditional pursuit, and in doing that support many Scottish livelihoods and businesses.
Like the many consumers of fish, alarmed at the damage being done to Scotland\'s marine resources, they are sick at heart to see Scotland’s inshore fish species declining, and fed up with hearing from a generation not far removed just how good the fishing was not so very long ago.
Examples of the kind of environmental irresponsibility that continues to anger Scottish anglers and potential visitors to Scotland are:
- The rape of the Spurdog in Loch Sunnart, a last stronghold for the species which is now at just 5% of its original biomass, and for which Ices recommends a zero catch. This alone will cost the Scottish economy many thousands of pounds if anglers stop visiting the region.
- Special protection now needed for Firth of Lorne and Sound of Mull for Common Skate, which have been driven to a last few footholds in Scotland’s marine environment where they support a valuable and growing recreational catch and release fishery.
- A ridiculous developing situation where it will be possible to kill tope in the Northern part of the Solway but not the Southern part. Tope that live 40 or 50 years, that are slow to grow and reproduce, and which are almost always returned by anglers mindful of their importance to the ecosystem, and their extreme vulnerability to even limited fishing mortality.
It would not be that hard to come to a fair balance between the needs of the environment, the needs of the recreational sea angling sector, and the needs of the diminishing number of Scottish people dependent on the residual remains of a once thriving fishing industry.
But to do what is right takes both vision and courage.
Are those the things that Finnie lacks?
And will Scotland have to pay the price of that?
Just recived from ian Burrett
I have just recieved a copy of a letter sent to my local MSP from Ross Finnie the Scottish fisheries minister. In many letters to the SACN and the SFSA Finnie has encouraged us to contact the VisitScotland team as the best way to promote RSA
In his letter to the MSP he states
“VisitScotland does not consider RSA to be a large contributor to the sector, so has no plans to further sector development”
At least we now where we stand now. If this doesn\'t inspire anglers to write to their MSP asking them to explain Finnies statement then nothing will.
South of the border Defra are meeting regularly with angling leaders and have doubled the representation at the sea Fishing committees yet even the tourist board doesn\'t want to know us in Scotland.
Also in a letter to the Scottish SACN this week Finnies refused us a representative on the new inshore Fisheries groups despite assurances two years ago we would have a representative at each of the 12 regions.
I could understand his attitude if he had sanctioned as asked by three MSP\'s, an economic survey on RSA and was basing his thoughts on facts.
A few letters from the SACN and the SFSA will not change his thoughts but a constant reminder from MSP\'s from all over Scotland might just make him sit up and listen.
Please write to your MSP and ask him/her to ask Finnie why RSA is being totally ignored in Scotland. Your MSP is obliged to ask him by law.
You can find your MSP at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/index.htm or if you live outwith Scotland but wish to write then Ross finnie can be contacted at Ross.Finnie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Please post on here if you have sent a letter, so we know which MSP\'s have recieved a letter. Our target is for every coastal MSP which is most of them to recieve at least one letter/email.
Also please copy and paste this on to any forums you think relevant and send it by email to anglers in your address book.
[Edited on 13/5/2006 by Charlton]
SACN contact: Ian Burrett, tel. 01776 840 346 or ianburrett@btinternet.com
SFSA contact Barry Scholes tel. 01465 716974 or barry.scholes@gentechsensors.com
Scottish sea anglers outraged by fisheries minister’s statement
The Sea Anglers conservation Network and the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers are outraged at the Scottish fisheries minister’s recent statement concerning the future of their sport.
Buoyed by government commissioned reports emanating from England showing that in England and Wales there are over 1 million sea anglers participating in a Recreational Sea Angling Sector (RSA) with a worth of over £1 billion to the economy, and by positive engagement of the RSA sector by the English and Welsh administrations, Scottish Sea Anglers saw an opportunity to convince the Scottish Administration that it would be a worthwhile investment to improve Scottish Sea Angling.
With probably some of the best sea angling still available in the British Isles and already employing thousands of people in servicing the Scottish RSA sector: Angling Charter Boats, Angling Guides, Bait and Tackle suppliers, as well as the spending of visiting anglers in hotels and restaurants, the Scottish RSA sector is capable of producing significant growth, often in rural coastal areas where it is rare to be able to achieve growth without significant environmental degradation.
Early approaches to politicians and managers led to considerable optimism, as they saw what had been accomplished by growing the RSA sector elsewhere, not only in such places as the United States, Australia and a number of other countries, but closer to home in Ireland and Wales, both competing fiercely with Scotland for that valuable economic input of visitors attracted at least in part by the opportunity of a great Sea Angling experience during a family holiday in the most beautiful of places.
However, Scotland is burdened by being home to the greater part of the still declining remnants of the UK fishing industry who are long used to maintaining a grip on the affairs of Scotland in order to serve their interests whilst maintaining an exclusive access to Scotland\'s diminishing marine resources.
Faced with the opportunity of developing an already valuable sector capable of significant growth, yet still politically weak, against the political need to be seen to be supporting a traditionally politically powerful sector that long ago reached the height of its economic worth, Scottish Minister Ross Finnie made his choice.
Half promises made to the emerging RSA sector, and previous words of encouragement seemed to have now faded away like a mist from the glens.
Although the opportunity for Angler involvement in the Inshore Fisheries Group (IFG) was mooted earlier, in a recent letter to Alex Fergusson MSP, Ross Finnie (referring to the Executive’s Strategic Framework for Inshore Fisheries) has written
“However I must stress that the Strategy’s primary concern is commercial, not recreational, sea fishing and an Inshore Fisheries Groups executive committee – tasked with developing management plans for the area’s commercial fisheries – will be made up exclusively of commercial fishing representatives”
Ian Burrett who runs three charter boats from Drummore, South west Scotland said “It is ridiculous that we are not being invited to attend the Inshore advisory groups as our counterparts in England and Wales are. Defra and many countries around the world treat recreation sea anglers as major stakeholders in inshore stock management.
And although Mr Finnie had previously suggested that the path for RSA to follow would be through Tourism, he goes on to write
“VisitScotland – the national tourism organisation – does not consider RSA to be a large contributor to the sector, so has no plans for further sector development”
Barry Scholes Press Officer for the SFSA said “This is not even true, as the SFSA has been working with VisitScotland for 2 years and Mr Finnie’s comment could wreck all the good work that has been done. We need to do something quickly before it is too late.”
(Early suggestions that a Scottish study should take place on the value of the RSA sector to Scotland were originally greeted favourably, especially in the light of similar studies undertaken in England and Wales that showed that the RSA sector rivalled the catching sector in terms of value and employment, and with much greater levels of participation. But perhaps knowing that such a study would reveal the true value of RSA in Scotland, any thoughts of such a study to learn the truth seem to have been abandoned in the knowledge of how many waves that could make).
So it seems that Finnie has been warned off, perhaps by a catching sector terrified of the emerging growth of an RSA sector that puts fish stock conservation at the heart of its reasoning (an increasing number of sea anglers are routinely returning most of what they catch and are actively engaged in the conservation of many Scottish species such as a number of sharks, skates and rays, of huge value to the recreational fishery alive not dead).
However, Mr Finnie’s easy dismissal of the aspirations of the sector has seemingly served to fuel an anger that even he is probably unprepared for.
In what could be the beginning of an avalanche of criticism, major tackle manufacturer Penn Trading has sent a scathing response to the Minister.
David Caulfield, the General Manager, writes:
“I am completely aghast at several of your comments, and would like to take some time to enlighten you as to the facts, rather than the hearsay which you have apparently reproduced in your correspondence.”
There are many people in Scotland who find an enhanced sense of wellbeing from being able to enjoy a traditional pursuit, and in doing that support many Scottish livelihoods and businesses.
Like the many consumers of fish, alarmed at the damage being done to Scotland\'s marine resources, they are sick at heart to see Scotland’s inshore fish species declining, and fed up with hearing from a generation not far removed just how good the fishing was not so very long ago.
Examples of the kind of environmental irresponsibility that continues to anger Scottish anglers and potential visitors to Scotland are:
- The rape of the Spurdog in Loch Sunnart, a last stronghold for the species which is now at just 5% of its original biomass, and for which Ices recommends a zero catch. This alone will cost the Scottish economy many thousands of pounds if anglers stop visiting the region.
- Special protection now needed for Firth of Lorne and Sound of Mull for Common Skate, which have been driven to a last few footholds in Scotland’s marine environment where they support a valuable and growing recreational catch and release fishery.
- A ridiculous developing situation where it will be possible to kill tope in the Northern part of the Solway but not the Southern part. Tope that live 40 or 50 years, that are slow to grow and reproduce, and which are almost always returned by anglers mindful of their importance to the ecosystem, and their extreme vulnerability to even limited fishing mortality.
It would not be that hard to come to a fair balance between the needs of the environment, the needs of the recreational sea angling sector, and the needs of the diminishing number of Scottish people dependent on the residual remains of a once thriving fishing industry.
But to do what is right takes both vision and courage.
Are those the things that Finnie lacks?
And will Scotland have to pay the price of that?
Just recived from ian Burrett
I have just recieved a copy of a letter sent to my local MSP from Ross Finnie the Scottish fisheries minister. In many letters to the SACN and the SFSA Finnie has encouraged us to contact the VisitScotland team as the best way to promote RSA
In his letter to the MSP he states
“VisitScotland does not consider RSA to be a large contributor to the sector, so has no plans to further sector development”
At least we now where we stand now. If this doesn\'t inspire anglers to write to their MSP asking them to explain Finnies statement then nothing will.
South of the border Defra are meeting regularly with angling leaders and have doubled the representation at the sea Fishing committees yet even the tourist board doesn\'t want to know us in Scotland.
Also in a letter to the Scottish SACN this week Finnies refused us a representative on the new inshore Fisheries groups despite assurances two years ago we would have a representative at each of the 12 regions.
I could understand his attitude if he had sanctioned as asked by three MSP\'s, an economic survey on RSA and was basing his thoughts on facts.
A few letters from the SACN and the SFSA will not change his thoughts but a constant reminder from MSP\'s from all over Scotland might just make him sit up and listen.
Please write to your MSP and ask him/her to ask Finnie why RSA is being totally ignored in Scotland. Your MSP is obliged to ask him by law.
You can find your MSP at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/index.htm or if you live outwith Scotland but wish to write then Ross finnie can be contacted at Ross.Finnie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Please post on here if you have sent a letter, so we know which MSP\'s have recieved a letter. Our target is for every coastal MSP which is most of them to recieve at least one letter/email.
Also please copy and paste this on to any forums you think relevant and send it by email to anglers in your address book.
[Edited on 13/5/2006 by Charlton]
Comment