St Pauls students awarded with certificates by Minister Fergus O Dowd

At a Fisheries Awareness Week (www.FAW.ie) event held in Mount Juliet on Monday May 14th, 1st year students from St Pauls Community School, Waterford received their awards for participation and successful completion in the ‘Angling for Youth Development Ireland’ pilot programme. Minister Fergus O Dowd, Minster of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources made the presentations having seen first- hand the young anglers casting and fishing at the beautiful Mount Juliet lakes.

Students from St Pauls Community School,Minister Fergus O Dowd ,teachers, ACI angling coaches, and Inland Fisheries Ireland staff following the presentation of certificates for completion of the Angling for Youth Development – Ireland pilot programme.

Angling For Youth Development- Ireland is a new education initiative being rolled out by Inland Fisheries Ireland(IFI). This initial pilot programme was run through the Angling Council of Ireland(ACI) in Waterford and aims to introduce students to angling.

Minister O Dowd was extremely impressed by the students and congratulated them on their achievement. ‘Angling is a lifelong pastime and what you have learned over this programme will stand to you as you become adults and go out into the world’, commented Minister O Dowd, ‘the skill of angling can be enjoyed all over Ireland and the world, and you now have a head start. I encourage you to practice sustainable angling, catching and releasing fish, being aware of habitat conservation and biosecurity, but most of all to have fun.’

Also on the day in Mount Juliet, members from L’Arche Community in Callan were introduced to angling by coaches from ACI and IFI. A great day was had by all with anglers catching and releasing up to 5 brown and rainbow trout.

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Media enquiries

Suzanne Campion ,Head of Business Development, Inland Fisheries Ireland,
Anglesea Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tel: 052 6180055 Fax: 052 6123971
Email: suzanne.campion@fisheriesireland.ie Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie

Inland Fisheries Ireland is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and was established under the Fisheries Act on 1st July 2010. Its principal function is the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. IFI promotes, supports, facilitates and advises the Minister on, the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries, including sea angling. It also develops and advises the Minister on policy and national strategies relating to inland fisheries and sea angling. www.fisheriesireland.ie

Founded nine years ago, the ACI is affiliated to the Irish Sports Council and has become the recognised umbrella organization for the five disciplines of angling at national level. The ACI is the forum for debate and discussion of the issues that are of most concern to anglers and provides the platform for anglers to address and find resolution for these issues. It is the powerhouse where anglers can develop strategies to meet the demands on angling in the present and for the future.