1. Public Meeting Presentation 2013
Dr Ciaran Byrne, Chief Executive Officer

2. Vision and Mission
Vision
“To provide an accessible and sustainable, world class, inland fisheries resource for all”
Mission
“To ensure the valuable natural resources of Inland Fisheries and Sea Angling are conserved, managed, developed and promoted in their own right and generate a positive return for the community”

3. The Principal Act Background:
Principal Act is the 1959 (Consolidated) Fisheries Act which is 54 years old. This
Act was itself a consolidation from the 1820’s
1959 Act reflects a different era when the focus of protection was on salmon
fisheries and privately owned fisheries.
No real protection for habitats only fish – must incorporate relevant EU Directives
No references to biosecurity or aquatic invasive species
The act is very prescriptive and details over 120 fisheries offences – some no
longer relevant

4. IFI Corporate Plan 4 Measures:
To improve the protection and conservation of the resource
To develop and improve wild fish populations
To increase the number of anglers
To generate a better return for Ireland from the resource

5. Legislation – Option Generation

6. Protection Rationale: This is an opportunity to overhaul the system
IFI will be a smaller organisation and we have to legislate for the efficiencies
which we want – streamline the enforcement area
Bringing prosecutions is expensive and relatively inefficient - want to reduce the
number of people we bring to court but have bigger sanctions when we get there
Also want to be able to target repeat offenders in efficient way – capture
cumulative fisheries offences
Enhanced working with other stakeholders (S. 294 Private Water keepers)

7. Protection
Options:
Refresh current system and bring in some new offences / remove non relevant ones
Section 294 Water Keepers - modernise this provision?
iii) Modernise the system and bring in measures like
a) Penalty point system
b) Grading of offences and associated fines
c) Stronger sanctions for prosecutions
d) Streamline payment system for fines and cut out inefficiencies

8. Fisheries
Rationale:
General principle of management - must know who owns what, and where ?
State fundamentally interested in identifying / clarifying ownership of fisheries
Need to address this issue for the sustainable development of the angling
resource
To facilitate long term structured management agreements with Angling Clubs and
Federations
The focus is on removing the barriers to enter the sport for domestic and tourist
participants

9. Fisheries
Options:
Do nothing - avoid this issue in the new legislation
Re-establish a fisheries title unit and sequentially work through all title issues
Identify a more streamlined way of dealing with fisheries title in new legislation

10. Rates
Rationale:
Fisheries originally rated in similar way to commercial properties – i.e. on the ability to derive an income from them
Complete disjoint between the ratable valuation and the status of the fisheries
Rates are tied in with the title issue and in a significant number of cases it is not clear who the rated occupier is (for historical reasons)
Significant amount of energy and admin time expended to generate a relatively small amount of revenue – need to look at system

11. Rates Options: Continue with the current system - (do nothing option)
Abolish rates
Modernise the system

12. Fisheries Development
Rationale:
IFI is a smaller organisation - can no longer do everything itself & need to remove
the disjoint between the sector and the agencies which previously existed
Need to get the sector (Clubs & Federations) involved directly in development and
promotion of angling - what is the best way to do this ?
To manage the sector IFI needs to understand the dynamics of it – need to get an
understanding of domestic & visiting anglers
To have top quality angling sport we must identify method of resourcing fisheries
development on a long term sustainable basis

13. Fisheries Development
Options:
Continue with the current system - (do nothing option)
ii) Modernise the system and identify methods to resource fisheries development on a long term sustainable basis

14. Biosecurity Rationale: This was not an issue in 1959!
Biosecurity / invasive species management WILL become a significant part of IFI’s work into the future
Must adopt stringent controls on the importation and movement of species - at ports of entry - we are and island nation, this should be possible
Also must understand movement within the country
Some protection in Habitats Directive but need strong direct sanctions - ie. penalties for moving introducing species

15. Biosecurity
Options:
Continue with the current system - (do nothing option)
ii) Modernise the system and identify methods to ensure we, either prevent the introduction of, or eliminate any aquatic invasive species