Press Release 21st September 2009
INAUAGURAL POLISH ANGLING COMPETITION HELD AT LOUGH MUCKNO
A Polish Angling organization entitled Fishmaniak held an inaugural coarse angling competition on 12th and 13th September at Lough Muckno in Castleblaney. The event was a great success with over 500 coarse fish caught and released over the two days.
Fishmaniak are a recently established club and they have 35 members from the Polish angling community in the Monaghan area. The Board presented a perpetual cup to the individual winner of this competition and Inspector Paddy Greene welcomed this initiative by stating ‘The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board are delighted with this initiative set up by the polish angling community and in particular their adoption of its catch and release conservation policy. This helps to preserve future fish stocks for local and overseas anglers which ultimately benefits the local economy. The Board looks forward to working with Fishmaniak in the future’.
In recent years there has been a large influx of Eastern European anglers to Ireland and significant numbers of coarse fish have been killed. This is primarily due to the fact that in their home country coarse fish are highly regarded for their culinary value. Anglers did not have an understanding of the angling practice of catch and release of coarse fish in Irish waters.
Since the introduction of the 2006 conservation of coarse fish byelaw, the Board has been proactive in its enforcement with over 100 on the spot fines issued to date and 45 prosecutions initiated. In addition the Board has distributed thousands of multi lingual leaflets and has erected multi lingual information signage at many waters, this coupled with supporting proactive groups such as Fishmaniak has led to a greater understanding and compliance of these regulations. There is now evidence that more resident Eastern Europeans are in full compliance with the angling regulations and return their catches alive.
The Board would like to thank Lough Muckno Community Partnership, particularly the Mayor Joe Brennan, Pat Merrick and Mr Frankie Poynz from Castleblaney Anglers Association for extending such a warm welcome to this group of anglers and for their assistance with the competition.
Lough Muckno is a premier coarse angling venue with the Monaghan Pairs fishing competition taking place this week with over 90 overseas anglers participating. The Board looks forward to the fruition of plans currently being progressed by the Muckno Community Development Association to make this lake a world class angling venue, thereby contributing to the overseas angling economy.
Ends...
Media enquiries:
Josie Mahon,
Eastern Regional Fisheries Board,
15A Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
Tel: 01 278 7022 / 087 6538202
email: josie.mahon@erfb.ie
Website: www.fishingireland.net
Email: info@erfb.ie
Notes to Editor:
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory authority whose function is to conserve, develop, protect, manage and promote the inland fisheries and sea angling resources within its jurisdiction. The Region extends from the border in Northern Ireland to South of the Wexford coast and includes all catchments which enter the sea between these boundaries.
Fishmaniak is a recently established polish angling organization. For further information contact Pawel Ladniak Tel 085 7600801, www.fishmaniak.pl