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Press Release

CLIMBDOWN BY FISHERY BOARD AVERTS CONFRONTATION WITH EVICTED DONEGAL ANGLER?S ON THE GWEEBARRA FISHERY.

BACKGROUND
The Donegal angling dispute arises from a decision by the NRFB CEO Mr. Harry Lloyd, to proceed without consultation the implementation of their new plan to take the Gweebarra waters from the Gweebarra and the Donegal Game Anglers Federation members. The plan ignores the rights of the Rosses Anglers and Fintown Anglers by failing to consult with the clubs despite the fact that they have fished the Gweebarra for generations.  The DGAF strongly rejected the Board?s decision to take water from a local club, and it was unanimously decided to escalate the dispute at their AGM last week by protesting on the waters with a series of actions starting on opening day April 1st 2007.  The Donegal Federation will undertook this protest in conjunction with the national bodies FISSTA (salmon) and TAFI (Trout Anglers Federation of Irl) who have condemned the Gweebarra Angling Club for profiting from the eviction of their fellow anglers from waters they have fished for generations.

A large crowd of over 250 protesters attended the protest march organized by the Donegal Game Angling Federation (DGAF) in Doochary village on Sunday morning last to hear Chairman David Magill vow to fight and win an end to this Second Rod War which was declared open by the NRFB when they published their notices in last week?s local papers. 

Mr. Magill thanked the crowd for making the NRFB management change their mind by not opening the fishery today, thus averting another confrontation with the local angers who were intending to fish under protest. Mr. Magill outlined the history of the dispute in a sometimes passionate speech delivered to the crowd on a sunny Sunday morning on the banks of the Gweebarra River as some fishery officers of the Northern Regional Fishery Board observed from a distance.

The Vice Chairman of DGAF, Mr. John Boyle from Rosses Anglers condemned the state fisheries authority and Government policy to allow ?the scourge of landlordism to return via the Gweebarra to our shores of Donegal.?

Local Fintown Anglers Secretary and DGAF Secretary Peadar O? Baoill thanked the large crowd for their support and stated that while those local landowners who had signed away their rights to angling, this would not deter the local angler from gaining access to their waters.
 
Mr. Noel Carr, National Secretary of FISSTA pledged support from anglers on the 80 national rivers and expressed mounting anger at the treatment anglers are receiving from the Government and the Fishery Board, largely based on the fact that the crisis in salmon stocks has been caused solely by Government inaction over years, compounded by the disastrous advice given by the Boards regarding salmon quotas for the drift and draft nets. Mr. Carr warned that it was just a matter of time before another ?Galway water incident? occurred here in Donegal, as it was the result of years of inaction by those who are paid well to prevent this from happening.  There are serious breaches of water quality all over this county and FISSTA have given ample complaints to the NRFB who prefer to spend their budget paying staff to harass the very people who pay their wages.

Mr. Magill concluded by saying ?today, the first day of the Rod War 2, we send a clear message to all anglers in the County and beyond, that the rights of all anglers such as their Gweebarra rights for future generations are being greatly eroded and must be strongly resisted if local anglers wish to have any influence on the development of fishing in the future. Mr. Magill called on the Government politicians to cease this anti angling campaign being waged by the NRFB and Donegal County Council officials.?  

In conclusion, Chairman David Magill acknowledged the large crowd in attendance and thanked all concerned for taking the time to come to Doochary and for making affecting the temporary climb down by the Fishery Board. Ends