by Ian Cowx, Hull, United Kingdom

The principal work carried out by the Working Party on Recreational Fisheries during the intersessional period was the peer review, editing and publishing of the proceedings of the EIFAC Nineteenth Session Symposium on the Social, Economic and Management Aspects of Recreational Fisheries (Dublin, Ireland, June 1996). Selected material was incorporated into a book published by Fishing News Books and included five topic session reports, 17 symposium presentations, ten workshop papers and six summaries of poster displays.

Some progress was made on the proposed Code of Practice for Recreational Fishing. The availability of suitable existing documents has been partially identified and a possible framework for the Code of Practice produced.

Members of the group were able to discuss issues at both the Ninth International Congress of European Ichthyologists, Trieste, Italy, August 1997 and the International Symposium on Management and Ecology of River Fisheries (Hull, UK, April 1998). Key management issues relevant to recreational fisheries were identified as:

• quality of monitoring statistics;
• communication; understanding ecology;
• social and cultural structures; cross boundary understanding and partnerships;
• rehabilitation and habitat management;
• resource use and access.

It was considered that the important steps to be taken during the management process are:

• scope problems and possible solutions;
• identify and prioritise relevant associated issues;
• collect ecological and socio-economic information;
• weigh benefits, disbenefits and acceptability of risks;
• action the chosen option;
• monitor;
• assess;
• provide feedback to database.

The future programme of the Working Party on Recreational Fisheries will include:

• the publication of the Code of Practice for Recreational Fishing ,
• a review of the implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Nineteenth Session Symposium;
• promotion and coordination of the proposed Year 2000 Angling Census.

Considerable difficulties have been encountered with gathering information on legal topics and mobilizing the manpower to carry out such a synthesis. Nevertheless compendia of legislation on environment relative to aquaculture were being prepared and it is suggested that a similar activity is needed for inland fisheries. It is recommended that EIFAC request that such a study is carried out by FAO, although it should be recognized that financial support will be required from member countries.

The Working Party on Education in Fisheries Management failed to meet in the intersessional period. The Covenor advised that he was trying to collate the education strategies linked to inland fisheries operated in EIFAC member countries. Unfortunately this was not completed. Despite education being an important component of inland fisheries management, this Working Party has been inactive for some considerable time and it is recommended a new Covenor is found immediately or the Working Party is discontinued.

This issue was discussed at length at the HIFI/EIFAC Symposium on River Fisheries. The issues raised are presented in the summary of the Symposium, document EIFAC/XX/98/Inf.11. The key points raised with respect to conflict resolution were:

• agreement on the issues relating to the conflict and where arise;
• community-based management of the resources to ensure active participation by all user groups in the decision-making;
• ensure funding for development is focused in the appropriate direction;
• identify an independent lead organization to coordinate activities.

It is anticipated further discussion will be forthcoming for the EIFAC Symposium on Water for Sustainable Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Preliminary discussions have taken place with Dr A. Neiland who was willing to act as Convenor of the Working Party. He is to make representation to the European Association of Fisheries Economists to gain support for the working group�s activities. It was felt that simple evaluation of fisheries was a tedious and difficult process despite the importance of the topic for inland fisheries in general.

The upshot of this lack of information on economic value is that inland fisheries have suffered in debates over multiple resource use because of the inability to put any tangible value on the resource against which to balance the arguments for development from other sectors. It is recommended that each member country prepares an economic evaluation of their inland fisheries so that comparisons can be made between regions.

The socio-economic aspects of inland fisheries were raised at the HIFI/EIFAC Symposium on River Fisheries at the University of Hull held in March 1998 (EIFAC/XX/98/Inf.11). This Symposium also recommended that social and economic information was critical to the management of fisheries and better integration between scientists, managers and socio-economists was required.