Stocks of coarse fish in inland rivers, lakes and canals are being "devastated" by non-nationals, according to the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland.
The federation has urged the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern, to introduce legislation to protect the fish, as regional fisheries officers are currently unable to take any protective action. The "catch and release" policy practised by both domestic and visiting anglers has made such legislation unnecessary until now, according to Mr Mark O'Donoghue, public relations officer with the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI).
Coarse fish, such as carp, tench and bream are not eaten here, but freshwater fish are very popular in eastern Europe - with carp being cooked on feast days. The NCFFI says it has received reports over the last two years of quantities of fish being netted in lakes, rivers and canals, and has forwarded these to regional fisheries boards.
NCFFI constituent clubs have taken to erecting signs in several languages on stretches of waterway, warning that such fish should not be killed, according to Mr O'Donoghue. "We believe that there is a lack of understanding about the fact that such fish should not be killed," he said.
Apart from carp, most of the coarse fish have no great value - but have an indirect multi-million euro spin-off in terms of tourism revenue, the NFFI says. The €64 million tourism angling sector depends on visits by some 200,000 anglers every year.
