After an absence of almost 10 years shore angling is beginning to show signs of recovery, particularly along east coast beaches. Anglers are now reporting good returns for their efforts, and a revival appears to be on the cards.
Beaches had become devoid of anglers as fish disappeared from the once-renowned venues. Open shore competitions found it increasingly difficult to cover costs as anglers turned to freshwater angling. A far cry from 1988 when a millennium shore competition hosted by Dublin City Sea Angling Club attracted 477 anglers.
The reasons for the decline, in my opinion, were threefold. First, the food chain was devastated because of excessive shellfish (particularly mussel) harvesting from Wexford to north Dublin; second, pollution took its toll due to our own effluent outfalls including the ever-present threat from Sellafield; and third, by over-indulgence of inshore commercial fishing. All three added up to a recipe for disaster.
These factors may now have been addressed. Certainly, the dreaded sight of the black, lowline mussel boats seems to have abated and the new multi-million-pound effluent plant at Greystones has greatly improved water quality. The commercial ban on cod fishing is also to be welcomed.
Hopefully, we will see the world and European championships and all the other major shore competitions return to the Wicklow beaches in the near future.
Remember: Section 5.3.1 of the Strategic Development Plan for 1998-2002 for inshore fisheries, published by the Central Fisheries Board, states: "Sea angling accounts for 25-30 per cent of total tourist angling." Let's keep it that way.
I feel sure tomorrow will bear out my intuition as Dublin Bus (Donnybrook) hold their annual shore competition along the Wicklow beaches.
Check-in starts at 10.30 a.m. in the Grand Hotel, Wicklow, with fishing from 1.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. First prize is £1,000. To ensure your place, phone Jimmy Doyle at 053-30969.