Yes. These fishermen are the first to receive Irish certificates of competency issued under regulations recently made by the Minister for Industry and Commerce. I am confident that this marks an important development in the history of the fishing industry. I should like to record my appreciation of the co-operation of the town of Galway Vocational Education Committee and of their teachers in making the first course the 100 per cent. success it was. An Bord Iascaigh Mhara have also played an important part in giving practical instruction on their offshore fishing vessels which, I hope, will be used to a still greater extent for training purposes in future.
As I said when introducing last year's Estimate, I was disappointed at the numbers applying for training. Despite widespread publicity the response this year has been even less encouraging; only eleven candidates attended for interview. I hope, however, that, as fishermen learn of the success of the first group of trainees and of the valuable knowledge and experience provided by the courses, applicants will come forward in ever increasing numbers. It may well be that men who have for years been out of touch with school subjects — mathematics in particular — do not find it easy to face the prospect of going back to study at the theoretical course. If that is the case it should be of great benefit to them if some preparatory spare time instruction could be organised in their home ports. I feel sure that Vocational Education Committees would be willing to co-operate in this way should there be local demand for classes. Indeed I understand that some committees are already providing instruction in navigational subjects.
In addition to the pressing need for qualified fishing skippers and second hands there is a dearth of deck hands and enginemen for our existing vessels. As the fleet expands the position will become acute. A fundamental need is the recruitment into the catching side of the industry of boys of about 16 years of age for training over a period of years as competent fishermen. With this in mind I am introducing a scheme for the training of deck hands and enginemen. I am inviting the co-operation of competent skippers to make a success of this scheme.
An allowance of up to £4 a week will be payable to a learner for a period of not more than two years if training as a deck hand or two-and-a-half years, including six months ashore, if training as an engineman. Applications for admission under this scheme will be invited shortly. When the learners have become experienced fishermen it is hoped that many of them will go on to take navigational training under the existing scheme and secure certificates of competency.
These training schemes should lead to increasing demand for fishing boats — for which, as I mentioned at the outset, grants are provided under subhead G. Perhaps I might here refer briefly to the attractive facilities now available for the purchase of new boats:—
First, a grant of 15 per cent. of the cost.
Secondly, an interest rate of 4 per cent.
Thirdly, the deposit a fisherman has to put down may be as low as 5 per cent. of the cost.
These facilities do not apply to boats issued before they were announced. I have received representations from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara for extension of the 4 per cent. interest rate to other transactions and I am having the matter examined. I have also received a petition from the National Fishermen's Organisation requesting application of the 4 per cent. interest rate and 15 per cent. grant to boats already issued and I have recently discussed this and other matters with a deputation from the organisation. I am afraid, however, that I cannot hold out hope of applying the 15 per cent. grant to boats issued before November last.
There is another new provision under subhead G of special interest to fishermen. A grant is being given to enable An Bord Iascaigh Mhara to sell ice at the reasonable price of £4 per ton ex-factory. I hope this will lead to the use of greatly increased quantities of ice which is essential to maintain the prime quality of our fish. The Board have ice-making plants in operation at Killybegs, Murrisk, Cleggan, Galway, Dingle, Schull, Ballycotton and Dunmore East and are providing plants at Caherciveen and Castletownbere.
A further new item provided for is a fish cookery book in which I am particularly interested because I am convinced that fish consumption in this country can be appreciably increased by encouraging greater variety both as regards cooking methods and the types of fish used. This is largely a matter for our schools and I am happy to acknowledge the co-operation of the Minister for Education and his Department in bringing it to the notice of educational authorities who, I feel sure, will play their part in popularising the use of fish.
Subhead G. also provides grants for other development projects of the usual type undertaken by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, including premises and plant at various centres. A sum of £43,250 is made available for salaries, fees, travelling expenses, miscellaneous items such as stationery, postage and telephones, and expenditure in connection with the head office premises. A large part of this grant for administration relates to development activities. For instance, payments in respect of boats do not cover the overhead expenses of administering the hire purchase scheme as distinct from the capital cost of the boats themselves. On the other hand, the building and repairing of boats and the marketing of fish should be conducted on normal business lines. I should add that the Board are carrying out a reorganisation to separate as far as practicable the purely commercial from the development side of their activities.
I might also mention that the arangements made to permit hire purchasers of boats to market their catches through approved auctioneers other than the Board have been operating satisfactorily. Now that this contentious matter has been settled, I am relying on private interests to increase their capital investment in the industry and intensify their efforts to develop market outlets at home and abroad.
In addition to the grant-in-aid, repayable advances are made to An Bord Iascaigh Mhara from the Central Fund. For the current year, advances have been authorised to a total of £240,000 of which almost 90 per cent. is for boats and gear. Incidentally, I shall shortly have to introduce amending legislation to increase the aggregate amount which may be advanced to the Board.
Subhead H. provides for a number of very important items described as technical assistance projects which include advice from foreign experts and visits abroad to study export prospects and improved techniques in fish handling and marketing and also to gather first hand information on fishing practice and on scientific work in a number of fields in which we are planning expansion. In January last, for instance, three representatives of the retail fish trade accompanied by an officer of the Department attended a seminar on the improvement of distribution and retail marketing of fish and fish products which was held in Neuwied, Germany, under the auspices of the European Productivity Agency of O.E.E.C. The seminar emphasised the need for special training facilities. This and other recommendations are being studied and will, I have no doubt, lead to improved handling, presentation and display of fish in the shops and thus make it more attractive to the consumer.
The Icelandic expert engaged to advise fishermen in modern methods and techniques visited various ports and took charge of a boat for demonstration purposes. Apart from his advice to individual fishermen, he made some general suggestions which are being considered.
The Swedish consultant on fishery harbours will not complete his assignment for some time. He is, however, making good progress with the assistance of the specially augmented engineering staff of the Commissioners of Public Works.
A Canadian fisheries economist has been engaged through FAO to review the sea fishing industry. He is to suggest the lines on which it should be developed as an export industry and to advise on the measures required to increase catching power and processing, to facilitate marketing and to attract the necessary capital.
International experts can be of great assistance to us in giving detailed technical advice and making objective studies of our problems. I should, however, make it clear that we have already formulated a general policy for sea fisheries expansion.
I may repeat that, in the last analysis, the development of the fishing industry will depend on the attitude of our own people to the catching side — in which more men and more boats are urgently needed. As I announced earlier, I am introducing a scheme of allowances to enable boys who could not otherwise do so to take up sea fishing as a career. I am sure Deputies will join with me in inviting boys of the most promising type to come forward under this scheme and also in encouraging competent fishermen to seek training as skippers and to purchase boats for themselves on the attractive terms now available.
Before passing from sea fisheries I should refer to the live question of exclusive fishery limits even though there is nothing new to report. It is hoped that international agreement will be reached on this important issue at the further conference on the Law of the Sea which has been fixed for the Spring of next year. The House will appreciate that it is most desirable that any extension of our limits should be achieved in the context of what is acceptable internationally rather than by unilateral action. The system of drawing straight baselines from which to measure the breadth of the limits was, however, adopted at last year's conference. This system has been under consideration with a view to its application to the Irish coast and the Minister for External Affairs has already stated that he will soon be introducing legislation to deal with the matter.
Perhaps I should add that the drawing of straight baselines in accordance with international law is not a simple matter. As an indication of the considerations involved, it may be helpful to quote the opening paragraphs of Article 4 of the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone:—
1. In localities where the coast line is deeply indented and cut into, or if there is a fringe of islands along the coast in its immediate vicinity, the method of straight baselines joining appropriate points may be employed in drawing the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
2. The drawing of such baselines must not depart to any appreciable extent from the general direction of the coast, and the sea areas within the lines must be sufficiently closely linked to the land domain to be subject to the régime of internal waters.
Looking at the inland fisheries subheads as a whole there is a net increase of approximately £9,000 to £82,800 as compared with 1958/59. If we disregard the rearrangement as between subheads F.1 and F.9 the nature of which I will shortly indicate, the true increases on various items as compared with 1958/59 total £17,997 while there is only one decrease, namely, that in subhead F.5. In other words the £9,000 to be saved under this subhead in respect of compensation for the abolition of freshwater netting means that the sum available for productive purposes under other subheads is in effect increased by £18,000 instead of the net increase figure of £9,000 already mentioned.
The rearrangement of provisions as between subhead F.1. entitled "Payments to Boards of Conservators and to Local Authorities etc." and subhead F.9 entitled "Contributions to the Salmon Conservancy Fund" deserves a word of explanation. Taken together, subhead F.1 provides for £28,000 and subhead F.9 for £14,000, a total of £42,000 as compared with £34,483 for the like purposes in 1958/59. The increase will be seen almost in its entirety on comparing the former provisions of £6,000 for grant to boards of conservators and £600 for contributions towards local schemes for the improvement of fisheries with the provision of £14,000 under Subhead F.9 by way of contributions to the Salmon Conservancy Fund. This provision should be recalled when considering the new arrangements for supplementing the financing of boards of conservators which have been made under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1958.
The new Act enables boards of conservators to issue a variety of salmon rod licences which may be available for use in all districts at £4 for the whole season, or for use in one district only at £3, or restricted licences for use after 1st July each year, as well as 21-day and 7-day licences at reduced rates. I am glad to be able to say that my expectations in regard to these revised rates have so far been fully justified: they have met with very little objection from our own anglers and I have no doubt that they will be welcomed by visiting anglers for whom the former system of district licence and endorsement was most inconvenient. These increased duties have been estimated to yield between £9,000 and £10,000 additional revenue, the greater part of which will be surrendered by the Conservators to the Salmon Conservancy Fund. The Fund will also receive — from the proceeds of the salmon export levy reintroduced in June 1957, and now incorporated in the Amendment Act of 1958 — a further sum of £8,000 to £10,000. I may say in passing, that the export levy in 1958 yielded only £8,400 due mainly to the catch of spring fish being below the average. This year's run of spring fish is widely reported as better than 1958 and it is to be hoped that the export levy will this season be nearer the £10,000 mark.
The total funds being made available for the salmon fisheries in 1959/60 are estimated at some £85,000, as compared with some £64,000 received by the conservators in 1956/57.
The total revenue from fishery rates and licence duties will come to £61,000; the proceeds of salmon export levy are estimated at £10,000, and provision is made in this estimate for exchequer grants and advances to the salmon conservancy fund, totalling £14,000. The comparable figures for 1956/57 are:— rates and licence duties, £50,000; Exchequer grants to Boards of Conservators, £14,000.
The funds available to the conservators in 1956/57 were required almost in their entirety for purposes of current expenditure; of the additional £21,000 which will be available in 1959/60, £6,000, by way of grant, and £2,000, by way of advance to the salmon conservancy fund, are being provided to meet capital expenditure on projects which I shall shortly describe in some detail.
The Salmon Conservancy Fund will be fed not only from the statutory sources just mentioned but also by grants and advances from the Exchequer. The sum of £14,000 set down this year is earmarked for the following purposes:— A sum of £6,000 will be available through the Fund to aid the revenues of boards of conservators, thus repeating the direct grant provided for under subhead F. 1 last year.
Grants up to a total of £4,000 will be paid into the Fund to enable me to make contributions towards schemes for the improvement of salmon fisheries. These are of the type described in the White Paper Programme for Economic Expansion, as designed to provide access to new spawning grounds, to improve the stocks of salmon and to induce runs of fish on the rivers at present relatively barren. One such scheme has already been embarked upon. A survey has been made of the Falls on the River Inagh, near Ennistymon, and flow records are being compiled with a view to designing a passage to enable salmon to surmount these Falls which heretofore have almost completely barred the ascent of salmon to the extensive spawning grounds upstream. A number of other projects of a worth-while nature have been listed for attention — the Bandon River and the Gweebarra River may be mentioned as examples.
I should, of course, point out that works of this nature require close examination, sometimes over a prolonged period, of a variety of problems which concern not alone the fishery engineer but also the biologist. Not only must the right conditions obtain for salmon to run the river in strength but it must also be determined before new stock is introduced that the spawning grounds are adquate and food supply sufficient and of the right types to ensure that salmon will reproduce their kind.
The balance of £4,000 payable under Subhead F.9 into the Salmon Conservancy Fund will be provided half as grant and half as repayable advance. This will enable assistance to be given from the Salmon Conservancy Fund in the first year towards the cost of a large scale salmon hatchery and rearing station at Cong, Co. Mayo, on the Corrib River system. The initial purpose of this establishment is to untilise for artificial propagation the fish which at present run past Cong into the Corrib/Mask canal and are lost to the river system as they cannot successfully spawn there due to the periodic disappearance of the canal through the porous rock which forms its bed. The fry resulting from the stripping of these fish will for the greater part be reared to summerling or fingerling stage and put out in selected portions of the Corrib system. It is hoped thereby to speed up the rehabilitation of salmon stocks following on the set-back occasioned by the disruption of spawning beds in the course of the Arterial Drainage Scheme. As the need for rebuilding stocks of the Corrib system diminishes supplies of fry will be made available in increasing quantities for the rehabilitation of other river systems which have suffered temporary injury or for the building up of stocks in newly developed rivers.
The Cong Hatchery and rearing station is estimated to cost £10,000 of which approximately 90 per cent. will be provided by the Exchequer through the Salmon Conservancy Fund — half as a free grant and half as a repayable advance, the remaining 10 per cent. being found by means of local contributions. The operation and maintenance of this establishment is being undertaken by the Galway Board of Conservators and I have promised to help in meeting any operational losses that arise in the initial period. When the hatching and rearing facilities are being used to full capacity, the Board will be able to provide a restocking service which should not only pay for itself and enable the Board's indebtedness to be repaid but also yield a modest profit.
Returning for the moment to the increased revenues to be put at the disposal of boards of conservators, I must emphasise that in allocating such funds I shall take into account the efficiency of each Board and its organisation, the value of the work each has in hand, the capacity to undertake further work, the extent to which the work done by angling associations and the like is indicative of local initiative and self-help in such matters as protection, improvement and restocking. The officers of my Department will keep in close touch with the various bodies concerned and advise them on problems of reorganising protection services and on the type of development work best suited to local conditions. Thus I hope to ensure that the excellent spirit of voluntary service which animates the conservators and the various associations may be directed into useful channels and so integrated into the general policy for improvement of the inland fisheries.
I referred last year to the formation of a Standing Joint Committee of boards of conservators. Most useful discussions have been held with representatives of this Committee which up to the present has addressed itself primarily to co-ordinating and examining critically a considerable volume of suggestions by boards of conservators for amendment of the fishery law. I also hope to avail myself of the experience which members of this Committee can, I feel sure, bring to bear on the whole question of the measures best calculated to improve the fisheries.
The payments which fall to be made to boards of conservators and local authorities etc. under the revised subhead F.1 are statutory payments of a kind made for a number of years past and do not call for special comment.
No significant change appears in the provisions of subheads F.2 — Artificial Propagation of Fish — and F.3 — State Fisheries.
Subhead F.4 entitled Scientific and Technical Investigations shows an increase of £1,200 as compared with 1958/59, the new total being £1,800. This is due to the cost of equipment and miscellaneous expenses (apart from salaries for which increased provision has been made under Subhead A) arising from extended scale investigations into inland fishery problems to be undertaken this year.
Surveys already initiated of the stocks of salmon rivers will be continued. Material has so far been compiled for reports on the stocks of the Shannon, Corrib and Erne systems and investigation of material relating to the Moy is in progress. Future surveys of this kind will, of course, be extended to rivers which may be developed as salmon rivers — to which I referred earlier.
Another important investigation about to commence is the biological study to be made by arrangement with Bord na Móna of the effects on fish life and fish food of bog development work in the catchment areas of important salmon rivers. This is by no means the first step taken towards alleviating the effects of this grave source of pollution. Certain investigations were made on behalf of Bord na Móna on the River Boyne and in each of the past two years that Board has arranged with the Inland Fisheries Trust to carry out on its own behalf the reduction of predatory fish and the planting of fry in portions of the Boyne system not affected by turf production in order to maintain the salmon stocks of the river as a whole. A good deal of experimental work has also been done by Bord na Móna on other systems to try to prevent harmful discharge into the rivers from bog workings. Now that a fundamental study of this problem is being undertaken I look forward to renewed effort on the part of Bord na Móna towards finding remedial measures. I trust that on a future occasion it will be possible to announce a successful outcome of collaboration in this matter between the interests of fisheries and turf production.
Investigations were also commenced in the Spring of 1958 into the underlying causes of another serious situation — the decline in stocks of the River Erne. The origin of this decline can be attributed to the hold up of salmon during the construction works for the hydro-electric stations and the excessive netting which occurred for a number of seasons while the construction work was in progress. As was to be expected this injury to the stocks had a cumulative effect over the years and the stocks of salmon had reached danger point by the 1957 season. It was imperative to rest the stocks and I accordingly found myself obliged to prohibit all fishing by net and weir in the Erne for the 1958 season.
At that time also my Department undertook in collaboration with the Electricity Supply Board a series of investigations into the possible causes of the continuing decline in stocks, the main subject of investigation being the conditions affecting descent of smolts passing the hydro-electric dams at Cliff and Cathaleen's Falls. An ingenious contrivance being used in these experiments is an adaptation of one which an engineer of Fisheries Division observed in operation in the course of a study tour in Sweden a few years ago.
The E.S.B. have also undertaken positive measures recommended to them to help improve the salmon stocks. A small tributary lake of the Erne system has been cleared of all resident fish — mostly perch with a few brown trout, eels and rudd — and a quantity of salmon fry, determined by the amount of natural feeding available, has been introduced and will be reared to the smolt stage before being released into the main river.
Finally, I should mention that the Erne fishery has been reopened this season on a strictly restricted basis. This decision has been welcomed by the netsmen who recognise that even the short fishing time which is being permitted can only be regarded as a trial measure of a necessarily conservative nature. I need hardly add that the situation on the Erne will be kept under careful review from season to season and that the fishing of the river will be varied according as the evidence shows any significant change in the stock position.
During the past year the way has been cleared for development of eel fishing in certain directions by the enactment in the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1958 of provisions which will make it possible for proprietors to bring back into fishing order certain eel weirs which had fallen into disuse as a result of restrictions imposed in 1939. A further provision of the 1958 Act makes it possible to authorise the operation of an eel weir without the free gap heretofore common to all fishing weirs, subject to suitable alternative arrangements being provided for the free passage of salmon and trout. These provisions are being implemented in consultation with the Boards of Conservators by the issue of temporary authorisations which will be subject to review when conditions as to how movements of fish are affected by operations of the eel weirs have been fully assessed.
Any large-scale development of eel fishing would, of course, give rise to problems affecting not only the welfare of long-established game fisheries but also the interests of coarse fishing. It will be necessary to determine what forms of eel fishing can be practised in particular waters without detriment to other stocks of fish. This will entail making a series of determinations as to the respective zones in which game fish, coarse fish and eel stocks can most suitably be exploited, having regard to all relevant factors, economic as well as biological. A comprehensive survey of the eel stocks and potentialities for development will have to be undertaken and provision is made in the technical assistance programme for further study abroad of techniques best adapted to conditions in Ireland, both as regards fishing methods and the processing and marketing of eels.
I now come to subhead F.5 which is the only subhead showing a real decrease. It provides for compensation for the loss of freshwater netting rights through the operation of Section 35 of the Fisheries Act, 1939. Final clearance of a number of compensation claims has been delayed partly by protracted negotiations and partly by lack of satisfactory title. Payments made to fishery owners and to netsmen up to 31st March, 1959, came to a total of £130,364 leaving about £16,000 still to be paid. I should hope to see all outstanding payments in this connection cleared in the financial year 1960/61.
The next item — Subhead F.6 — deals with the activities of the Inland Fisheries Trust. The provision under this heading shows an increase of £5,000 over last year's figure of £20,000. The Trust's activities in the past year do not call for detailed comment. Full information regarding the valuable work being done is readily available to any interested person in the Annual Report issued recently by it. Suffice it to say that the year was one of steady progress although development work on certain rivers and lakes was seriously affected by the prevailing weather conditions and survey work was hindered by high water levels. Nevertheless large scale removals of pike and perch were undertaken at some 17 centres. In all more than 33,000 pike were captured including over 10,000 at Carrigdrohid and Iniscarra reservoirs on the River Lee. Restocking with summerling and fingerling brown trout was carried out at a number of places.
Lough na Leibe, Co. Sligo, which has been stocked with rainbow trout fingerlings each autumn since 1955, now contains a big stock of fish. Test fishing carried out indicates that the fish weigh up to 1¾ lbs. Kilbrean Lake near Killarney, which was stocked with rainbows in 1957 and 1958, will be open for restricted fishing in 1959.
The additional sum of £5,000 in the Grant-in-Aid this year is to enable the Trust to clear more waters of predatory fish by the use of Rotenone. This method of clearance, although costly, and not suitable for general application, is highly effective and enables the work to be completed and restocking to be carried out in much shorter time than by ordinary methods of predator control.
The development work being carried out by the Trust on our inland fisheries under the Bord Fáilte 5-year plan is being integrated with the work being done to encourage and expand angling tourism. The work of these two bodies in developing the fisheries last year can only be dealt with in brief summary form.
Predator reduction was carried out on some nineteen lakes and rivers, and restocking was carried out on a number of these. In sixteen rivers and lakes the predator position is now generally satisfactory. Stocks of tench were released at seven centres in Cavan and Leitrim and at two points on the Royal Canal. Stands and other facilities for fishing were provided at some eleven new centres.
Local authorities are also co-operating with Bord Fáilte in the drive to make conditions more attractive for our visitors. A new approach road has been provided at Lough Sheelin and approaches, car parks and jetties have been provided on the Corrib. At Lough Carra four new approaches have been constructed while at Crossmolina a new approach, jetty, car park and caravan site have been provided. It gives me great pleasure to state that at Lough Carra and Crossmolina the local angling associations played a constructive and active part in the carrying out of these works. It is on local co-operation of this type that the success of our angling tourist industry depends.
The scheme for building boats for angling being operated through the medium of training courses provided by the various Vocational Education Committees continues to be highly successful. It is expected that some 300 boats will have been made available as a result of this scheme up to the current year. These are additional to the boats built by the ordinary commercial builder.
Catering courses for housewives have proved popular and are being extended. Over sixty people attended the residential course at Bundoran and courses were also arranged at eleven other centres in Leitrim, Cavan, Longford and Westmeath. Courses such as these are essential if our angling tourist industry is to continue to thrive. Our visitors will expect and must be provided with more varied and attractive fare.
Arrangements have been made this year for the holding of four international sea angling competitions and nine other competitions have also been arranged to date. The international contests have been fixed for Westport, Dingle, Wicklow and Greystones. There are now forty-two angling clubs affiliated with the Federation of Irish Sea Anglers.
I personally attended a meeting in Paris at which the Chairmen of a number of angling associations, angling journalists and executives of transport and travelling agencies were present. I also attended three similar meetings at British centres. I have met representatives of the principal development associations in the Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford and Westmeath areas on several occasions.
Bord Fáilte has also been active in this direction and, early this year, decided to step-up the work of bringing anglers in touch with travel agencies and transport authorities and to assist in the organising of package tours.
Indications are that the drive to attract foreign anglers is succeeding. Checks carried out at some 30 centres for coarse fishing during 1958 showed that bookings had increased by 53 per cent. over 1957, while a similar check carried out at the same number of trout fishing centres showed the significant increase of 79 per cent. in 1958 over the 1957 figure. From the information available in respect of bookings in the current year there seems to be every reason to believe that this upward trend in the number of fishing tourists is continuing. Already the bookings over a representative area show an increase of 40 per cent. over last year and the season is only commencing.
I have no doubt whatever that angling can and does play a very important part in our tourist industry. The Inland Fisheries Trust and Bord Fáilte are doing their utmost to assist, but ultimately, I am convinced, success or failure in this important field will depend on the many Angling and Local Development Associations which have been called into being and are still being formed.
All that is needed is fair treatment for the visitors, accurate information as to the type of fishing available and reasonable charges for accommodation, boat hire and so on. I appeal to all anglers' associations who are as yet not helping in the work to lend a hand and thus assist in this specialised sector in putting the country's economy on a sound footing.
I should like to refer here to recent developments on waters controlled by the Electricity Supply Board. A new fish pass has been constructed at considerable expense in the hydro-electric dam at Ardnacrusha. This is a move to restore the Shannon to its former position as an excellent salmon fishing river. Removal of predators from Lough Derg is being continued and local angling and development associations are co-operating wholeheartedly with the Board in this work. The Board has provided a large quantity of brown trout fry for restocking the lake. The Board has also undertaken at the request of the local angling associations, experimental fishing in Lough Allen, with a view to obtaining accurate information on the stocks of fish present in the lake.
Subhead F.7 provides for the usual State contribution of £1,000 to the Salmon Research Trust of Ireland. This is in respect of running expenses of which the State bears one-third of the total. This Trust, as will be recalled, was established on the initiative of Messrs. Arthur Guinness, Son & Co. Ltd., whose interest in salmon research and whose unstinted financial and other assistance I have pleasure in acknowledging. The investigations which this Trust has in hand relate to such matters as the rearing of fish of known ancestry and study of their life history — a necessarily long term scientific investigation on the outcome of which it is hoped to throw some new light on the theory that "like breeds like" so far as salmon are concerned. Some very interesting work is also being done on the problem of predation which goes to show that small brown trout, coal fish, pollack, mergansers and cormorants, are all important as predators of young salmon and may in some conditions cause heavy mortality among migrating smolts.
The next Subhead F.8 — Fish Pond Culture — is a new one providing funds for the promotion of small scale fish farming. This type of production, the rearing of rainbow trout for table use, is one which I am advised can provide farmers of small to medium-sized agricultural holdings with a worthwhile addition to their ordinary farm incomes at a cost of comparatively small capital outlay.
Some preliminary work has yet to be done before I can encourage farmers to take advantage of the grants which I propose to make available for the purpose.
It is intended to construct and operate some experimental units under varying conditions. These units will be located on small farms in locations where the conditions generally favour further development on similar holdings. The ponds which are to be the basis of a demonstration or pilot scheme will be constructed, equipped, stocked with fry and provided with food in the first year on a repayment basis. Farmers who agree to take part in the demonstration scheme will be given a short course of training in fish culture work and thereafter will be responsible for all operations entailed in rearing the fish to marketable size.
Investigations of sites for demonstration units and testing of water supplies are being made in a number of areas and it is hoped to have the first locations selected and ponds constructed within the next few months.
The token provision in respect of repayable advances to the Foyle Fisheries Commission has been deleted. This Commission, I am pleased to say, continues its successful administration of the fisheries of the Foyle Area. From the outset the Commission has been able to manage its affairs so as to show a credit balance in its accounts each year, and as disclosed in its annual report for the fishery year ended 30th September, 1958, has surrendered out of its surplus funds up to date a total of £28,200 in equal parts to the Fishery Authorities in Dublin and Belfast. I consider it safe to assume that this satisfactory state of affairs will continue and have adopted a suggestion recently made by the Public Accounts Committee by not asking this year for the token sum formerly provided.
I have referred on previous occasions to the serious harm which poaching — more accurately called illegal fishing — can do in destroying the fruits of all efforts to improve such a valuable national asset as our inland fisheries. Fortunately the use of poison or explosives has diminished to vanishing point, and the destruction of fish on the spawning beds is becoming better understood as an indefensible and criminal act which strikes at the very life of this industry. Minor instances of illegal fishing are, however, only too plentiful and I shall continue to give full support to boards of conservators in upholding their efforts to stamp out such practices.
It is with considerable satisfaction that I refer in conclusion to the task of consolidating the Fisheries statutes. The revised version of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Bill which was introduced in Seanad Éireann in November last has recently been reported upon by the Standing Joint Committee of both Houses and the Bill is due for its remaining stages in the very near future. Once the existing fishery laws have been re-enacted within the compass of a single statute the work of amending that law to take full account of present-day conditions will be undertaken. Certain proposals to this end have already been elicited from boards of conservators and these, together with some matters of an urgent but non-controversial nature which have been noted by my Department as calling for amendment of existing legislation, are now being examined and I hope in due course to bring in proposals for amending legislation of fairly general scope.
