What we do: Sustainable seas. But where is angling?

...Our wallets are therefore powerful weapons in the fight to create a more sustainable future. The IWT does not advocate an end to fishing. We believe that fish is an essential part of our diet, culture, society and economy. It is vital for the survival of coastal communities all around our island. However, the type of fish we eat, particularly by knowing where and how our fish has been caught, can send a strong signal to decision makers that change is urgently needed. Having said that, making choices at the fish counter is not easy and so much more needs to be done to inform the public about the impacts of these choices. The IWT is therefore delighted to publish Ireland’s first consumer’s guide to sustainable seafood. Because the information is not always clear cut we have developed a traffic light system. Green, Amber and Red.

AMBER – this may be OK to eat but we don’t know enough to be sure. Little is known about the state of the stock, the way it is fished causes damage to the marine ecosystem or there is enough evidence to suggests that stocks are declining.


Bass are currently classed in this system as Amber


Taken from the Irish Wildlife Trust - Article Sustainable Seas 
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One of the many questions from the Environmental Pillar Submission made recently caught my attention. The entire .pdf can be located here

Q10 Suggest ways we can foster and / integrate marine policy and planning in Ireland? With less resources, how can we do it better?

In Briefing Document II each marine sectors is presented in turn with no conceivable attempt at assessing synergistic or conflicting interests and needs. In order to achieve integration the plan will have to be discussed by all stakeholders in inclusive manner, while addressing environmental, resource
and financial restrictions. Such an approach would help to reduce duplication, improving efficiency across sectors, and planning.

I can agree with this provided each marine sector and all stakeholders are presented, yet there is scant mention of angling or angling related activities in the midst of any of this!