Arranmore Fishing

Poor Uncle Tom

About 3 miles off the west coast of Donegal sits the island of Arranmore with a population of about 500 down from 600 in 1996. The decline in population and businesses on Arranmore has been blamed on the ban on salmon fishing.

It is believed there is now a surplus of wild salmon in the atlantic and the fishermen should have access to at least 10% of it and there have been calls for an easement in restrictions in area 6A which includes the fishing area at Arranmore.

Is the livelyhood of people on Arranmore based on fishing or on tourism?

Rocky Bay

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

About 3 miles off the west coast of Donegal sits the island of Arranmore with a population of about 500 down from 600 in 1996. The decline in population and businesses on Arranmore has been blamed on the ban on salmon fishing.

It is believed there is now a surplus of wild salmon in the atlantic and the fishermen should have access to at least 10% of it and there have been calls for an easement in restrictions in area 6A which includes the fishing area at Arranmore.

Is the livelyhood of people on Arranmore based on fishing or on tourism?

I was out there 2 years ago, only for a few hours. I really could not say anything about the fishing although I did talk to a local and he was back from England. He did tell me a lot of the locals were in construction particularly underground excavation in London and when there was work Scotland. As I was the only one walking around, I hope they don't depend on tourism. Did'nt RTE or was it Nationwide have a program on Arranmore last year?

Rumple Fugly

No the livelyhood of 99.9% of the people on Arranmore Island does not depend on fishing. Maybe 30 or 40 yrs ago when most Islanders were less educated and there was less opportunities available, people did what they knew, and that was fishing, farming and so on.
But times have changed and even without these bans there still would be only a few people fishing today. These few have benifited greatly from from the limited numbers harvesting the sea over the years and yet they are still grumbling and crying wanting more. Fishing is not and was never going to be the future of the Island, with or without these bans.
The truth is, fishing is not something most young people want to do anymore, but these handful of fishermen on the Island maintain everyone wants to fish just so they can get their own way again.
Its basically greedy people wanting more and more and you would be hard pressed to find a poor fisherman, islander or otherwise!

Poor Uncle Tom

Rumple Fugly wrote: »

No the livelyhood of 99.9% of the people on Arranmore Island does not depend on fishing. Maybe 30 or 40 yrs ago when most Islanders were less educated and there was less opportunities available, people did what they knew, and that was fishing, farming and so on.
But times have changed and even without these bans there still would be only a few people fishing today. These few have benifited greatly from from the limited numbers harvesting the sea over the years and yet they are still grumbling and crying wanting more. Fishing is not and was never going to be the future of the Island, with or without these bans.
The truth is, fishing is not something most young people want to do anymore, but these handful of fishermen on the Island maintain everyone wants to fish just so they can get their own way again.
Its basically greedy people wanting more and more and you would be hard pressed to find a poor fisherman, islander or otherwise!

Not one for easing the restrictions in area 6A then?

But, if there are so few fishing there why restrict what they catch at all?

Rumple Fugly

I'm not overly interested in the lifting the 6A ban because it only puts more money into the same peoples pockets.
My only guess as to why it was put in place to start with is that boats were coming from other areas and the waters possibly were being overfished.
But lifting this ban will not bring people back to the island to go fishing or create any new jobs in the area. It'll be just the same boys making even more money and they expect everyone to support them with this nonsense that "fishing is the heart of the Island" and other crap like that.

seanarran

Rumple Fugly wrote:

No the livelyhood of 99.9% of the people on Arranmore Island does not depend on fishing. Maybe 30 or 40 yrs ago when most Islanders were less educated and there was less opportunities available, people did what they knew, and that was fishing, farming and so on.
But times have changed and even without these bans there still would be only a few people fishing today. These few have benifited greatly from from the limited numbers harvesting the sea over the years and yet they are still grumbling and crying wanting more. Fishing is not and was never going to be the future of the Island, with or without these bans.
The truth is, fishing is not something most young people want to do anymore, but these handful of fishermen on the Island maintain everyone wants to fish just so they can get their own way again.
Its basically greedy people wanting more and more and you would be hard pressed to find a poor fisherman, islander or otherwise!

Rumple Fugly wrote: »

I'm not overly interested in the lifting the 6A ban because it only puts more money into the same peoples pockets.
My only guess as to why it was put in place to start with is that boats were coming from other areas and the waters possibly were being overfished.
But lifting this ban will not bring people back to the island to go fishing or create any new jobs in the area. It'll be just the same boys making even more money and they expect everyone to support them with this nonsense that "fishing is the heart of the Island" and other crap like that.

Rumple i dont know where you get your information from , but - who is making all this money you speak of ? Island fishermen in 18-22ft punts fishing seasonally to make €40-60 a day fishing lobsters. Give me a break ! We do not and never have, raped the seas like the industrial hoovers that fish further out to sea to reply to your "My only guess as to why it was put in place to start with is that boats were coming from other areas and the waters possibly were being overfished.".
There are at the moment, roughly 200 men from Arranmore working underground in London alone, and you can tell me that at least some of them wouldnt want to come home to their wives and kids if the opportunity was there ! Are you by any chance in politics ?

Please, please know the facts before you preach crap to the masses - John - Arranmore Island fisherman - Unemployed..:mad:

Poor Uncle Tom

But is raising the restrictions in 6A going to have a direct influence on jobs? Is there that much work in salmon fishing? or is it a case that the fishing industry in that area has taken the same hit as it has all over?

323

As for your last question, would have to say No, don't believe fishing never was a mainstay on the island. Not so sure about tourism.

To be fair there was a fair bit of fishing in the early/mid eighties, salmon drifting in summer, potting and static netting for dog fish. But by the late 80' before there was any talk of reduction in fishing many of those who had been fishing in that period had emmigrated.

Was not aware of this development as to atlantic salmon stocks. But would be nice a easing of restrictions on salmon fishing for the few who wish to.
Would be nice if they could get a price that reflects the quality of wild salmon. Truely are the King of fish as opposed to the fish farm/battery chicken version we see in the shops, that bears little resemblance to the real thing.

But believe it could be a political can of worms though. What gear would be legal, remember, much of the increase salmon fishing in the early to mid 80's came with day fishing using monofiliment (illegal) net and other illegal practice, many were not licenced, illegal gear, fishing weekends, etc which led to all sorts of issues with the navy.
Still the only case I am aware of of the Irish navy directly opening fire on anyone, a 50 foot timber fishing boat, pure luck no one was killed. Would not welcome that sort of fiasco again.

seanarran

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

But is raising the restrictions in 6A going to have a direct influence on jobs? Is there that much work in salmon fishing? or is it a case that the fishing industry in that area has taken the same hit as it has all over?

Tom, certainly raising the restrictions on box 6a would create employment ,inshore fishermen in Donegal have been forced to fish for lobster/brown crab since the salmon fishery and 6a closed. Even if the salmon fishery re-opened on the tag system or days at sea , as well as in conjunction with the marine institute to determine what numbers there are out there. There were roughly 16 salmon licences in Arranmore before the ban, one accepted the buy out, the remaning fishermen refused to accept it. So 16 x 3 men in a half-decker - thats 48 men employed (albeit seasonally) at the salmon alone. Fishing as an employer has been badly mismanaged for years , Great to see all the supertrawlers sure , who have a crew of 10-15 at the most. But i would rather see 200 of the smaller inshore men catch a quarter of the amount of fish as a livlihood , than profits of a "tankboat" being split among its shareholders ! Oiche Mhaith.