Inland Fisheries Ireland to cease using gill nets for pike removal

jkchambers

Inland Fisheries Ireland to cease using gill nets for pike removal
For decades pike have been removed from a number of lakes which have been managed as wild brown trout fisheries. These lakes include Corrib, Mask, Carra, Conn, Cullin, Arrow and Sheelin. Ten years ago the list of lakes where pike were removed was almost twice what it is now. Gill nets have been used to remove larger pike and electro fishing used to remove juvenile pike. The use of indiscriminate gill nets has always been a major issue among pike anglers. The Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs (I.F.P.A.C.) has campaigned against the use of gill nets since its establishment in 1988.
Last March an I.F.P.A.C. delegation was invited to make a presentation on the establishment of a National Angling Development Plan to the Development Sub Committee of the Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland. A wide range of topics were discussed with the 2 main issues being the use of gill nets to remove pike from managed wild brown trout fisheries and the marketing of the pike angling product on these lakes. A very full and frank discussion too place on every aspect of these important issues. The members of the Sub Committee reported back to their Board at their next meeting and a decision to review their pike management programme and practice and how they promote and develop pike angling was made.
Yesterday there was another meeting between the Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs and Inland Fisheries Ireland. Once again a wide range of issues were discussed.
I.F.P.A.C. were told that while the review of pike management on managed wild brown trout fisheries was ongoing some decisions had been made
1. It is Inland Fisheries Ireland’s aim to cease gill netting as a method of pike management on the managed wild brown trout fisheries. This is a process which will take a period of time to implement and IFI has already invested in alternative technologies to expedite this process and will continue to do so.
2. Electro fishing is to be used to remove juvenile pike from managed wild brown trout fisheries. Past experience has shown that 95% of pike caught by this method are under 20cms
3. There is no intention to remove all pike from these waters as a good stock of pike will be needed to maintain a proper ecological balance and provide a pike angling resource
4. IFI’s aim to cease gill netting as a method of pike removal and focus on electro fishing of juvenile pike however should this process not succeed IFI reserves the right to re-commence gill netting any water to maintain the required balance
5. While the emphasis will be on promoting these lakes as managed wild brown trout fisheries pike angling will also be promoted
Other important issues discussed included
Development of pike waters
Funding within the Inland Fisheries resource
Biosecurity and safety of anglers on the water
Pike angling tourism
I.F.P.A.C. welcomes the decision to cease the practice of gill netting and congratulates the Board on its timely policy review.

Flysfisher

Its good that the gill netting is to stop. Its too indiscriminate. As pike do have to the controlled on wild brown trout fisheries I am glad to see the electro fishing will continue.

a148pro

Can I ask a number of questions?

- why are they removing the pike in the first place, do they predate the trout or are they in competition (or both)?

- what is the problem with the nets?

- can you eat pike and is it legal to catch them?

- if so, does the water quality affect whether you can eat them, I ask this because they're in the canal in front of me, in decent numbers (as I've seen a few I assume this means there is a lot more there), and I wouldn't be overly confident of the cleanliness of that water?

Thanks

gctest50

Pike will eat anything - baby ducks etc

The nets catch/kill everything else as well as pike - no good

They're tasty - http://www.beaverlodgeflyin.com/how-to-cook-fry-beer-batter-for-pike.htm

don't know how canal water would affect them - parasites maybe ????

Flysfisher

a148pro wrote: »

Can I ask a number of questions?

- why are they removing the pike in the first place, do they predate the trout or are they in competition (or both)?

- what is the problem with the nets?

- can you eat pike and is it legal to catch them?

- if so, does the water quality affect whether you can eat them, I ask this because they're in the canal in front of me, in decent numbers (as I've seen a few I assume this means there is a lot more there), and I wouldn't be overly confident of the cleanliness of that water?

Thanks

Yes,
Nets kill everything.
You can eat pike but pike anglers would not like to see you killing them and rightly so. Put them back. If you are that hungry where you have to kill wild fish to eat then contact Vincent de Paul.
Yes water quality affects fish hugely.

dodderangler

^^^^ bit much isn't it?
I fish pike and trout an have no problem with anyone killing a pike as long as they abide by the law and stick within the limits.
As for the taste I've been told is nice but extremely boney.

RustyNut

Flysfisher wrote: »

Yes,
Nets kill everything.
You can eat pike but pike anglers would not like to see you killing them and rightly so. Put them back. If you are that hungry where you have to kill wild fish to eat then contact Vincent de Paul.
Yes water quality affects fish hugely.

Just a question as I don't really know that much about fishing but would like to learn. Why would it be seen as a bad thing to catch and eat wild fish?

EmptyTree

RustyNut wrote: »

Just a question as I don't really know that much about fishing but would like to learn. Why would it be seen as a bad thing to catch and eat wild fish?

Some species of fish more so than others (IMO). All things in moderation. It only takes a few bad eggs that kill everything in sight to ruin it for everyone else.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

RustyNut wrote: »

Just a question as I don't really know that much about fishing but would like to learn. Why would it be seen as a bad thing to catch and eat wild fish?

Keep catching, keeping eating, no fish left! Like a lot of nature our wild fish stocks need all the help they can get right now.

a148pro

Its funny I was going to post a thread on catching to eat, I'm new to this forum and was surprised but also impressed by people's catch and release values. I also understand that for most people angling is a sport.

From my perspective I love to eat fish, and while I respect anglers and I'm hardly one to talk (given that I'd catch it and kill it), the idea of inflicting pain on a fish and disturbing it from its natural environment gratuitously doesn't sit great with me. So I'd be more inclined to only fish to eat.

Now obviously if there's an endangered stock I'm not going to fish it, or overfish it, but surely some stocks actually benefit by predation, taking older, lazier (maybe) fish out of the population? Will many stocks not replenish naturally? I mean most fish (I am assuming) lay eggs in their thousands, so if we're taking the odd fish here and there it should be replaced automatically.

I mean if its conservation of salmon / trout / sea bass I completely understand the importance of not catching them. But if we know enough about the stock to know they can be taken?

Genghis Cant

jkchambers wrote: »

I.F.P.A.C. welcomes the decision to cease the practice of gill netting and congratulates the Board on its timely policy review.

How do IFPAC feel about the proposed change to Bye Law 809(2006) on managed wild brown trout fisheries to allow all Pike UNDER 85cm (or 2' 9 1/2" in old money) be taken and killed, one a day on rod and line?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

a148pro wrote: »

Its funny I was going to post a thread on catching to eat, I'm new to this forum and was surprised but also impressed by people's catch and release values. I also understand that for most people angling is a sport.

From my perspective I love to eat fish, and while I respect anglers and I'm hardly one to talk (given that I'd catch it and kill it), the idea of inflicting pain on a fish and disturbing it from its natural environment gratuitously doesn't sit great with me. So I'd be more inclined to only fish to eat.

Now obviously if there's an endangered stock I'm not going to fish it, or overfish it, but surely some stocks actually benefit by predation, taking older, lazier (maybe) fish out of the population? Will many stocks not replenish naturally? I mean most fish (I am assuming) lay eggs in their thousands, so if we're taking the odd fish here and there it should be replaced automatically.

I mean if its conservation of salmon / trout / sea bass I completely understand the importance of not catching them. But if we know enough about the stock to know they can be taken?

Without going through everything you posted I would remind you that it is in fact the larger older fish that are the breeding stock - hence so many maximum limits on the size of fish that can be taken.
As for fish laying thousands of eggs. This is for a reason. Only a tiny % make it to maturity. And if you take the older fish there will be no eggs anyway.

danbrosnan

Why don't salmon anglers get together and ask the IFI to remove the legal commercial salmon nets still in operation on places like castlemaine harbour, the Munster Blackwater, the feale, and Brandon bay?

stylie

danbrosnan wrote: »

Why don't salmon anglers get together and ask the IFI to remove the legal commercial salmon nets still in operation on places like castlemaine harbour, the Munster Blackwater, the feale, and Brandon bay?

Salmon anglers hate each other, they hate that one club might have better water or that one guy is catching fish and their not. Munster Blackwater probably has a 100 clubs and syndicates on it that couldn't agree on if its raining outside never mind a buy out. The river Lee has only 2 clubs on it and they would nearly prefer to shoot each other across the banks than a sit down.
Disband all the clubs and syndicates and have one national license €500 and use that to buy out the netsmen.

Zzippy

danbrosnan wrote: »

Why don't salmon anglers get together and ask the IFI to remove the legal commercial salmon nets still in operation on places like castlemaine harbour, the Munster Blackwater, the feale, and Brandon bay?

The government took a decision that salmon was a common resource and did not belong to any one interest group. Commercial fishermen are as entitled to fish as anglers are under that policy. What has improved is that driftnets are no longer allowed off the coast, where they took fish destined for many rivers, some of them where salmon were very scarce. Now commercial fishing is only supposed to be allowed in estuaries where there is a surplus. Castlemaine is a joke though, as there are 5 salmon rivers draining into it and only 2 have a surplus, but that was a political decision.

stylie wrote: »

Salmon anglers hate each other, they hate that one club might have better water or that one guy is catching fish and their not. Munster Blackwater probably has a 100 clubs and syndicates on it that couldn't agree on if its raining outside never mind a buy out. The river Lee has only 2 clubs on it and they would nearly prefer to shoot each other across the banks than a sit down.
Disband all the clubs and syndicates and have one national license €500 and use that to buy out the netsmen.

Such rubbish. Yes there is friction between clubs, but it doesn't mean they don't come together when there's a threat to their sport. The Stop Now campaign was very successful and brought together different federations and clubs to campaign against driftnetting.

danbrosnan

Zzippy wrote: »

Such rubbish. Yes there is friction between clubs, but it doesn't mean they don't come together when there's a threat to their sport. The Stop Now campaign was very successful and brought together different federations and clubs to campaign against driftnetting.

I'm afraid I don't agree with you there, I wouldn't say salmon anglers hate each but there defo a different breed...

They same to be very greedy and ignorant of any authority that's just my experience...

They seem not to care for c&r and only care about killing fish, also the vast majority of salmon only fish for salmon and other types of angling like saltwater or course angling doesn't interest them..

It's obvious to me after reading this post about the pike anglers coming together and standing up to the IFI, that the same would actually be impossible here in Kerry...

The prime example of this is like you said in castlemaine, why can't the anglers there come together and stop the commercial fishing? Because it's impossible...

stylie

Zzippy wrote: »

The government took a decision that salmon was a common resource and did not belong to any one interest group. Commercial fishermen are as entitled to fish as anglers are under that policy. What has improved is that driftnets are no longer allowed off the coast, where they took fish destined for many rivers, some of them where salmon were very scarce. Now commercial fishing is only supposed to be allowed in estuaries where there is a surplus. Castlemaine is a joke though, as there are 5 salmon rivers draining into it and only 2 have a surplus, but that was a political decision.



Such rubbish. Yes there is friction between clubs, but it doesn't mean they don't come together when there's a threat to their sport. The Stop Now campaign was very successful and brought together different federations and clubs to campaign against driftnetting.

Take off your rose tinted glasses, I live between and fish both the Lee and BW and the sh1t that goes on between the clubs and syndicates is a joke. They all had a common enemy with the drift nets. To many are ran by guys with only their own interests at heart.

danbrosnan

stylie wrote: »

Take off your rose tinted glasses, I live between and fish both the Lee and BW and the sh1t that goes on between the clubs and syndicates is a joke. They all had a common enemy with the drift nets. To many are ran by guys with only their own interests at heart.

It's the same ere in Kerry with the various clubs, anglers who post catches of salmon on the internet or practice c&r won't be accepted into some clubs that's a fact...

Budawanny

danbrosnan wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't agree with you there, I wouldn't say salmon anglers hate each but there defo a different breed...

They same to be very greedy and ignorant of any authority that's just my experience...

They seem not to care for c&r and only care about killing fish, also the vast majority of salmon only fish for salmon and other types of angling like saltwater or course angling doesn't interest them..

It's obvious to me after reading this post about the pike anglers coming together and standing up to the IFI, that the same would actually be impossible here in Kerry...

The prime example of this is like you said in castlemaine, why can't the anglers there come together and stop the commercial fishing? Because it's impossible...

Aaaah here now. Your not seriously going to target ALL salmon fishermen like this? . I started salmon fishing in 1980 and caught my first salmon in 1981 at the age of 5. It was a hen and returned to the river under the tutelage of my father. I have never kept a hen fish. and bear in the mind the large amount of money i have contributed to the state in the form of licenses and permits over the space of 30 odd years.
To say all salmon anglers dont fish for anything else is really funny. hilarious. I will not go fishing for mackerel. I'm a salmon angler damn you man! wtf is that about?
The sweeping generalizations above are a bit incomprehensible to be honest and clearly factually incorrect.

The simple fact remains that I pay for my fishing. And i pay alot of money.
I am perfectly and fully entitled to exercise any rights up my daily catch limits as paid for, and as stipulated by the relevant authorities.
The fact that I choose not to is entirely my own business.

Budawanny

with all the threats there are to recreational fishing in Ireland we would all be much better off if we stopped bitching about each other not catching and releasing, bitching about which group of anglers are the worst, and spent more time banding together against the threats of poaching and the commercial fishing lobbies in this country.

danbrosnan

Budawanny wrote: »

Aaaah here now. Your not seriously going to target ALL salmon fishermen like this? . I started salmon fishing in 1980 and caught my first salmon in 1981 at the age of 5. It was a hen and returned to the river under the tutelage of my father. I have never kept a hen fish. and bear in the mind the large amount of money i have contributed to the state in the form of licenses and permits over the space of 30 odd years.
To say all salmon anglers dont fish for anything else is really funny. hilarious. I will not go fishing for mackerel. I'm a salmon angler damn you man! wtf is that about?
The sweeping generalizations above are a bit incomprehensible to be honest and clearly factually incorrect.

The simple fact remains that I pay for my fishing. And i pay alot of money.
I am perfectly and fully entitled to exercise any rights up my daily catch limits as paid for, and as stipulated by the relevant authorities.
The fact that I choose not to is entirely my own business.

The way you have replied there proves my point, I'm not against keeping fish im actually for it...

I was generalising my experience and i will stand by it...

You have your opinion and I accept that but if you think that all salmon anglers practise c&r and keep to bag limits then you may as well keep talking rubbish...

danbrosnan

Budawanny wrote: »

with all the threats there are to recreational fishing in Ireland we would all be much better off if we stopped bitching about each other not catching and releasing, bitching about which group of anglers are the worst, and spent more time banding together against the threats of poaching and the commercial fishing lobbies in this country.

Again you didn't read my post and you are obviously self obsessed with your own opinion...

What I was stating is that the pike anglers actually made a massive stride in stopping the IFI in using gill nets and why cant the salmon anglers stop the mass slaughter of wild salmon along the irish coast...

The reason is because the IFI grant legal licences the kill wild salmon and this should not happen, salmon anglers find it very very difficult to come together that was my point

Budawanny

danbrosnan wrote: »

The way you have replied there proves my point, I'm not against keeping fish im actually for it...

I was generalising my experience and i will stand by it...

You have your opinion and I accept that but if you think that all salmon anglers practise c&r and keep to bag limits then you may as well keep talking rubbish...

i never said that so you neednt bother getting defensive or twisting words

Budawanny

danbrosnan wrote: »

Again you didn't read my post and you are obviously self obsessed with your own opinion...

What I was stating is that the pike anglers actually made a massive stride in stopping the IFI in using gill nets and why cant the salmon anglers stop the mass slaughter of wild salmon along the irish coast...

The reason is because the IFI grant legal licences the kill wild salmon and this should not happen, salmon anglers find it very very difficult to come together that was my point

Attack the post Dan not the poster. Im not sure where self obsessed comes into what was supposed to be a grown up discussion.

Ill criticise the parts of your post that I feel are wrong. that does not add up to self obsession.

It was not clear that you were talking a few local fisherman in Kerry and not the whole lot of us.

Its a hell of a lot simpler to get the IFI to abandon gill nets as there is no single commerical loss taken by anyone in this instance.

when you have to go up against powerful lobby groups like commerical fisherman, its an entirely different matter.

danbrosnan

Budawanny wrote: »

Attack the post Dan not the poster. Im not sure where self obsessed comes into what was supposed to be a grown up discussion.

Ill criticise the parts of your post that I feel are wrong. that does not add up to self obsession.

It was not clear that you were talking a few local fisherman in Kerry and not the whole lot of us.

Its a hell of a lot simpler to get the IFI to abandon gill nets as there is no single commerical loss taken by anyone in this instance.

when you have to go up against powerful lobby groups like commerical fisherman, its an entirely different matter.

Ya your right, I didn't mean for you to feel like I was attacking you but in all fairness your first post attacked me first...

I just think people are afraid and they don't care enough, I am one that cares that's why I had a fishery officer onto me during the week pleading with me to stop making poaching public down here in Kerry because in reality it was making there job more difficult it was quite laughable to be honest...

I didn't mean to attack you my friend, the way I feel about it is that if the owl salmon anglers get there few fish there happy with that and when it comes to doing something about conservation your laughed at...

That's what has happened to me and I can't help that experience... That's how I feel about the subject, no more no less, tight lines...

Flysfisher

My god some of the stuff on this site is just ridiculous. Last week salmon anglers were ruining pike fishing, this week they are starting world war 3.

:rolleyes:

danbrosnan

Flysfisher wrote: »

My god some of the stuff on this site is just ridiculous. Last week salmon anglers were ruining pike fishing, this week they are starting world war 3.

:rolleyes:

if only the salmon anglers were running the country!!! LOL

niallon

Love how a thread on Pike netting has devolved into a Salmon scrap....must be a record for shortest amount of posts to do so in too.

On topic, great news. Of all freshwater fish, I've always regarded Pike as needing the most protecting, especially given their appearance and nature tends to make people think they're a tough fish when in fact they're one of the most fragile in our waters.

KAI.Fundraiser

Only thing I don't like about the new policy is how the IFI has made sure to get it stipulated that if THEY are not happy with the results of the electro they will go back to the gill nets as they please.

And its beyond me how it became that people needed to do the job of nature in the first place.... Pike have always been there so why do we need to start moving and killing them???

Bio Mech

Flysfisher wrote: »

My god some of the stuff on this site is just ridiculous. Last week salmon anglers were ruining pike fishing, this week they are starting world war 3.

:rolleyes:

Please don't demean the discussions we had last week on the Liffey bye laws and the effects on coarse fishing and pike fishing. There is no need to be so flippant. Other people have opinions and if you don't agree that's fine but posts like this just make your points look small minded and petty.