Fethard-on-Sea RNLI in Co Wexford has received a most-generous donation of €37,000 from Integer of New Ross, after the company’s staff and management chose the lifeboat station as its charity of the year. Volunteers at the station was delighted to be chosen and overwhelmed by the amount raised.
As a world leader in advanced medical device outsourcing, Integer’s technology and manufacturing can be found in virtually every medical device brand. Their products serve a critical need including cardiac rhythm, cardio and vascular, neuromodulation and portable power.
Receiving the cheque from Integer spokesperson Seamus Hamilton, Fethard’s fundraising secretary, Sarah Bates, said: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the staff at Integer. This significant donation will help us continue to save lives at sea on the Hook Peninsula and river Barrow up to New Ross.
“The funds will also support our crews training. In the last two weeks alone, 12 volunteers undertook training and awarded with casualty care certificates.”
Walter Foley, Fethard RNLI operations manager, added: “We are so grateful for this extraordinary donation during a year when our traditional fundraising activities had to cease due to Covid-19 restrictions.”
Returning those completed logbooks
Salmon and sea trout anglers who have not yet returned their angling logbook and unused gill tags are requested to do so immediately. The two items are necessary to provide vital data to establish evidence-based decisions on wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout stocks into the future.
In accordance with the wild salmon and sea trout tagging scheme, anglers are required by law to return their completed logbook and unused tags to the issuing officer of Inland Fisheries Ireland within seven days of licence expiry and no later than October 19th each year.
Logbooks and tags can be returned via the prepaid postage return envelope supplied at time of licence purchase. Alternatively, scanned logbooks and licences may be emailed to salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie.
Please note that both sides and any continuation pages should be included to ensure name and number can be linked to the correct logbook.
As part of the scheme, an angler must attach a gill tag to a salmon or sea trout (over 40cm), on landing, followed by an entry into logbook and gill-tag used. If the fish is to be released, a record of the catch must be made in logbook.
Any queries to salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie.
Pandemic angling
Despite Covid-19 pandemic anglers fishing in Irish waters in 2020 caught hundreds of large fish, according to the just-published Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC) report.
One new record was set and more than 300 large fish of different species were caught from venues throughout Ireland. The main species were shark, such as smooth-hound and spurdog and, in freshwater, pike and brown trout dominated. All fish were weighed, measured and released.
The ISFC, which is supported by Inland Fisheries Ireland, is an independent all-Ireland voluntary body which verifies and records the capture of large fish caught on rod in freshwater and marine waters.
The online report is available at www.specimenfish.ie and hard copies available in mid-May. For further information, contact: William Roche, ISFC secretary at 01-884 2600.
Guide for anglers
An outdoor recreational angling guide based on Seven Principles of Leave No Trace has been launched by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in partnership with Leave No Trace Ireland.
The leaflet is a short guide on how anglers can minimise the impact a fishing trip can have on the environment and also serve as a checklist for those who enjoy the outdoors.
The principles are: 1, plan ahead; 2, consider others; 3, respect farm animals and wildlife; 4, travel and camp on durable ground; 5, leave what you find; 6, dispose of waste properly; 7, minimise effects of fire.
Suzanne Campion, head of business development at IFI, said: “Anglers are important stewards over the waters they fish to help nurture it for future generations to enjoy.”
Maura Kiely, chief executive of Leave No Trace Ireland, said: “We have tailored the seven principles to work as a checklist for anglers when embarking on a fishing trip.” The guide is available at www.leavenotraceireland.org.
angling@irishtimes.com.
