St Mary's island - access - group trying to ban a activity

[Boro5707]

Apologies if this has been a topic but have just come across a group on Facebook who are discouraging any activity on St Mary's island to stop disturbance of the seals! An angler was asked not to fish there a few weeks ago.
I will post a few screenshot from the group for members who are not Facebook members.
Another mark will be lost if these people have there way.

 

[mardenq]

can they stop us from fishing there ?they will be onto the divers to .its a place I enjoy fishing in the summer

 

[Boro5707]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/
[IMG]http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/06/179b5c0c095e55f88796507105b780b8.jpg

 

[Boro5707]

 

[Boro5707]

Some comments to people walking past seals.

 

[Codcodcod!]

I've never seen a seal move/flap away if I happened to walk past one. They seem to just look at you and then put there heads down.

 

[g-force]

Just yet another bunch of seIf important, seIf appointed morons without a cIue and with no authority whatsoever -if I'm approached by any whiIe fishing there, they'II get a poIite Iecture about the probjems with affording the top predator in the north sea "protected" status, their destructive effect on marine Iife around their coIonies as weII as fish stocks in generaI....and a suggestion that we might Iook at importing a Iarge shark popuIation to chomp down on the bIubbery IittIe monsters to keep them in check ...and finaIIy they'II be tojd poIiteIy but firmIy to go away!

Gary

 

[Charlton]

the big question is who was there first and as someone who has fished St Mary's for many years, and I am going back some forty plus years I can tell you the anglers, divers and those out for a walk where, the seals are a very new user of this habitat and if they where frightened of anglers, divers or walkers why did they take up residence there.

 

[topbanana]

No reason why the island can't be shared. If people are obviously abusing them then that's uncalled for but I've never seen this behaviour off anyone. And of course people are going to look at them, they make a fortune each summer up seahouses off them. Seems to me these are just self righteous do gooders with nowt else to do.

 

[harry barker]

Just yet another bunch of seIf important, seIf appointed morons without a cIue and with no authority whatsoever -if I'm approached by any whiIe fishing there, they'II get a poIite Iecture about the probjems with affording the top predator in the north sea "protected" status, their destructive effect on marine Iife around their coIonies as weII as fish stocks in generaI....and a suggestion that we might Iook at importing a Iarge shark popuIation to chomp down on the bIubbery IittIe monsters to keep them in check ...and finaIIy they'II be tojd poIiteIy but firmIy to go away!

Gary

.......................This..................

 

[g-force]

SeaIs are very fortunate that their evoIution has Ied them to appear as "cute " to humans, and they're abIe to fooI a Iot of peopIe - with the exception of maybe the big cats, most predators are pretty damn eviI Iooking....I'm sure if seaIs had evojved with ugIy, AdmiraI Akbar-styIe squid heads & tentacIes that we'd take a more sensibIe approach to the expIoding seaI popuIation, aIong the Iines of the Innuit and other aboriginaI, indiginous peopIes and be heading down with our cIubs to make the grey seaI a stapIe of the British barbecue....

Gary

 

[markcall]

Hi all I put this on the fisher mans locker it's not the sea's that are the problem it's the so called warders that tried to stop me from fishing 3 weeks a go so I very politely told them that they couldn't stop me and fished crisps gully and will do again very soon .

 

[fishingmark]

I've fished there quite a few times in the summer and have had inquisitive seals pop out of the water only a couple of feet away, I have never seen any up there look the slightest bit distressed when near me. I think the so called wardens will be more distressed by my presence if they try to get between me and the wrasse lol.

 

[Uncle_Filthster]

I had one of them come running across the rocks in a fluster a couple of weeks ago. The usual self appointed experts that have a tiny bit of knowledge so they are dangerous. It's something I've come across a lot from working in conservation.
She was looking at me in total disbelief when I told her they often just rest a few metres away from me sleeping while I fish, even when I've had my pooch with me. Same with as me informing her that as long as you aren't noisey or approaching them they aren't bothered when they see you have no interest in them.

 

[Rod]

And remember when night fishing keep your headlamp on low in case you disturb the poor things sleep,and don't stand on any limpets while on the rocks as they have feeling too.

 

[Charlton]

is anybody putting a few of these replies on thier forum to see what they say, not of facebook otherwise I would. Trouble with totally blinkered people they don't see the whole picture.

 

[Uncle_Filthster]

That's the problem Alan, nothing will change the opinion of the blinkered. I've encountered it so many times in conservation it's ridiculous, and that is from both sides of the fence too.

 

[Boro5707]

Not that i know of, but a may pop over to St Mary's Sunday for a chat.

 

[phill_itofish]

I've logged onto facebook and ready through some of the group's posts. The group itself seem to have there hearts in the right place, encouraging people to go to St Mary's but to stay 50m clear of the seals where possible, the negative post seem to be by people outside of the group and are not condoned by the group. I'm sure most of us wouldn't start fishing close to where seals are resting, or where birds were nesting for that matter, if we thought it was going to cause them any distress. I'm not sure the group has any authority to tell anyone what to do or where they can go, but if they advised me that seal were in a certain area I for one would welcome the advice and give the seals some room.

 

[Charlton]

I've logged onto facebook and ready through some of the group's posts. The group itself seem to have there hearts in the right place, encouraging people to go to St Mary's but to stay 50m clear of the seals where possible, the negative post seem to be by people outside of the group and are not condoned by the group. I'm sure most of us wouldn't start fishing close to where seals are resting, or where birds were nesting for that matter, if we thought it was going to cause them any distress. I'm not sure the group has any authority to tell anyone what to do or where they can go, but if they advised me that seal were in a certain area I for one would welcome the advice and give the seals some room.

no authority whatsoever if they want to make it an issue it will have to go through the NIFCA