Donegal anglers are breaking with tradition and will not be fishing on January 1st 2005. They are protesting over the five broken political promises and will be refusing to fish next Saturday Jan 1 when the season opens in Donegal. They are calling on visiting anglers "to fish with us and not instead of us" by supporting them in their peaceful and legal action. The decision by Creeslough Anglers to refuse to buy a rod license and so called 'new permit' being introduced for the first time by NRFB has been supported by the national federation called FISSTA who represents the majority of salmon anglers in Donegal.
On November 2nd 2004 Donegal angling representatives were told by CEO Harry Lloyd at a NRFB meeting in Ballyshannon that new rules for anglers would come into force on this Saturday January 1st 2005. No further details were forthcoming which effect all anglers in the Republic.
Since then, FISSTA, on behalf of the national angers have written to the Minister Pat the Cope Gallagher TD for confirmation and further details on what he plans for this Saturday, when the angling season officially opens on the Bundrowes, Lackagh and Leannan rivers of Donegal.
Sadly, the Minister has ignored our requests for this vital information to date and the only official response has been from Mr Harry Lloyd CEO of the NRFB who is quoted as saying that Donegal anglers are 'sitting on the sidelines''. This is the only comment issued by any official who now appears to be the acting spokesperson for the Minister,
In a clear response to this comment, FISSTA state that the anglers of Donegal will not be 'sitting on the sidelines' as the season opens this Saturday next. For too long, FISSTA and our Donegal Game Angling Federation colleagues have given the Department of Marine the time to make good on the promises which we have already fought and won for over the past four years. The time for stalling is over and we call on the Mnister of State Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher TD to start managing the salmonid fisheries now and resolve this very serious damage being done to our salmon stocks and sport. The time has now come to honour their spoken and written word made in 2002 by Ministers for Marine Frank Fahey, Sports Minister John O Donohue and Heritage Minister Sile de Valera to the anglers of Donegal and Ireland as the appended promises outline.
FISSTA & Donegal anglers call on Minister Pat the Cope to deliver these five promises now which will help repair the present damage being done to our salmon and angling.

MR. NOEL CARR. SECRETARY & PRO, Teelin Rd, Carrick, Co Donegal 074 9730300 phone & fax 0872352001 mobile email:dgl1@indigo.ie 

Note to Editor on the five broken promises

1. PROMISE NUMBER ONE – NO QUOTAS ON ANGLERS

On every delegation to a Minister for the Marine in 2002, 2003 and 2004 FISSTA quoted the promise from the then Minister, Mr Frank Fahey TD when he wrote and read into the Dail record the following promise: “My overriding policy objective is to increase returns of salmon, thus enhancing the availability of stocks for tourism and domestic sport angling to the national benefit. I have therefore invited the Commission to reflect in its future considerations the policy objective of incrementally increasing, within sustainable limits, the absolute amount of salmon available to recreational angling. This means that there will be no quotas imposed on recreational angling.”- letter from Minister Fahey to FISSTA on 24th May 2000. The introduction of a one fish quota in 2002 broke this promise and struck directly at the core of our rights and confirms why all confidence in a “spirit of consultation and partnership with government” has eroded.

FISSTA CALL FOR “NO QUOTAS ON ANGLERS” NOW AS PROMISED.

2. PROMISE NUMBER 2 - RENEWAL OF 7 YEAR LEASES

The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources is in agreement to the renewal of leases of 7 years being granted forthwith – letter from Frank Fahey TD on 23rd April 02.

FISSTA CALL FOR THE RENEWAL OF 7 YEAR LEASES NOW

3. PROMISE NUMBER THREE – SINGLE NON TRANSFERABLE QUOTA FOR NETSMEN

On January 10th 2002 the then Minister for the Marine, Mr Frank Fahey TD, promised FISSTA equality in the tagging system and announced that the National Salmon Commission (NSC) had been ordered to set quotas for the different districts. He said that the quotas could not be transferred between individual fishermen. He also admitted: "It is clear from the scientific advice that reductions in overall fishing effort are required to sustain and rebuild salmon stocks." But sadly, these words were never put into action and by the time the May election was won and the netting season opened in June, the commercial fishermen were not just awarded with more salmon quota than they could ever catch, but the individual non-transferrable quota or the tagging of farmed fish, which Minister Fahey promised, were never implemented. The failure of angling members on the National Salmon Commission to get Chairman Joey Murrin to put it on the agenda confirms their helplessness in what was just another one, in the litany of broken promises to FISSTA and the international salmon coalition. As founding members of Stop Salmon Driftnets Now Campaign we have embraced and renew our long standing policy to end mixed stock fisheries now. The introduction of the the individual non-transferable quota would be a vital step on this path to ending drift nets forever.

FISSTA CALL FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SINGLE NON TRANSFERABLE QUOTA FOR NETSMEN NOW

4. PROMISE NUMBER FOUR – LOG BOOK REVIEW

Minister for Marine in 2002 Mr Frank Fahey TD agreed to a change of the log book for a new license book which meant that no angler had to account for their movements in pursuit of their recreational sport. Under these terms it was agreed no angler would be prosecuted for logbook breaches until such time as the agreed license book was approved by NSC and put into operation by the Dept in September 2002 for 2003 season. FISSTA will fight to defend affiliated anglers against any action taken on behalf of the Minister on this log book issue.

5. PROMISE NUMBER FIVE – RING FENCING OF REVENUE DERIVED FROM ROD LICENSE INCREASE

On the 8th January 2003 Minister John Browne promised to ring fence the increased income derived from the rod license revenue to be spent on a salmon enhancement programmes as proposed by FISSTA.