Cultural revolution hits coarse fishing

What is - and is not - considered fit to eat is a topic of division among the growing diversity of anglers in Ireland, writes Siobhán Kane.

Ireland's new-found multiculturalism is evident in nearly every aspect of our lives. But one unexpected area of cultural difference is fish.

The types of fish eaten on Irish soil have never been so diverse. Irish people have traditionally stayed well clear of fish caught by coarse angling, which includes species such as carp and bream. As a result of this the Central Fisheries Board's policy of "catch and release" while coarse fishing is well taken up by native anglers, and the mainly British tourists visiting Ireland.

It is not, however, a legal obligation to release coarse fish once they are caught.

In Eastern Europe fish species caught by the coarse angler are part of the traditional diet. For this reason, immigrants from Eastern Europe see no reason why they cannot take these fish from our waters. This has resulted in a conservation issue.

The Central Fisheries Board recently established a Coarse Fish Policy Review Group, which will be chaired by Dr Joe Caffrey, senior research officer with the CFB. Dr Caffrey says one of the issues discussed in this review will be the killing of fish.

"There is no legislation governing the removal of coarse fish from our waters. We have never had a tradition of removing fish, but Eastern European countries do eat these fish. What we would like would be a total catch and release policy."

This issue is starting to affect tourism, as some visiting anglers are very turned off by the coarse fish removal. "The English in particular are the biggest group of coarse anglers who come to Ireland, and anglers don't like seeing fish being taken from the waters. Without question it is damaging our tourism industry."

But Dr Caffrey is also aware that cultural differences need to be fully understood. "We fully accept that fish such as carp and bream are a traditional dish in Eastern Europe. The focus needs to be very strongly on education."

The Eastern Fisheries Board recently put posters in Russian, Latvian and Lithuanian at strategic angling points and in tackle shops outlining our current by-laws in relation to coarse fishing. Dr Caffrey says a person taking one or two fish away poses no great worry. It is because fish are being commercially sold that there is a conservation threat.

"Dried roach is available and carp and bream are commonly available. That probably is our greatest concern. In many shops these species are now available to be bought, and once there is a demand then that demand will be filled."

Éanna Rowe from Waterways Ireland, which manages the Grand and Royal Canals coming from Dublin, says taking fish has been an issue for 15-20 years, but it has become more apparent in the last three to four years. Waterways Ireland has put two tonnes of stock into the canals over the last year.

Mr Rowe says they do not make public the areas they are stocking so that those wishing to target fish for commercial sale will not know where stocks are highest. "On the whole, while this is a problem, it is one which has been tackled. We have erected 140 pictorial signs depicting anglers releasing fish. Another 140 signs are being printed in 10 languages, including English, Irish, French, German, Russian and Latvian, to be put under these signs."

While many are saying stock levels are noticeably down, Dr Caffrey does not agree. "I haven't noticed a significant decline in stocks. But were it to continue at the rate it is, then it would be unsustainable."