ANGLERS are being asked to come up with ideas to improve freshwater fishing in the Isle of Man’s rivers and reservoirs in a new initiative from the government.

The outcome is expected to be a revision of the existing regulations which have not been updated in 30 years.

The Fisheries Directorate of the Department of Environment Food and Agriculture has announced the start of an extensive consultation exercise in which it is seeking the views of all anglers in the Isle of Man on the current regulations relating to freshwater fishing in rivers, reservoirs and stillwaters and how these can be updated.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for all freshwater anglers,” said Juan Turner MLC, member for Fisheries. “Anglers can feed back to the Department their ideas and suggestions on how best their fishery can be managed to ensure fishing opportunities on the Island continue to improve.

“We are looking for angler opinion on all aspects of fishing, from daily bag limits to types of fishing gear, the annual close seasons and the regulation of coarse fish angling.

“The existing regulations are nearly 30 years old and I want to encourage all anglers to read these consultation papers and submit their views to the Department. This is a unique chance for both angling clubs and individual anglers to have a say in the future of freshwater fishing in the Island”.

The consultation document also asks for views and comments on proposed new rules relating to the importation of freshwater fish and the prevention of fish diseases to best protect Manx native fish populations. 

The 2010 freshwater fishing season is widely regarded as one of the best in recent years with good numbers of salmon and sea trout being caught during the final two months of the season - September and October.

However, previous seasons have seen only sparse catches and the number of migratory fish in Manx rivers depends heavily on rainfall conditions which were very low in the autumn of 2008 and 2009.

Anglers have given a cautious welcome to the news of a consultation and angling club are expected to make comments in the next few days once they have examined the detail of the consultation document.

The consultation documents are available on the Government Consultations page at the following link: http://www.gov.im/ConsultationDetail.gov?id=212  or copies can be obtained from the Fisheries Directorate on 685857 or email fisheries@gov.im.  The consultation period closes on 29th April 2011.