asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the annual salmon catches by all methods and value thereof from 1970-1984; the method of compiling official catches; the likelihood that large quantities of salmon are illegally being caught and are not appearing on the official register of catches; the number of licences issued by each fishery board for 1972-1984; the extent of naval concentration on salmon fishery duties annually; the latest information on salmon fishing off Faroe, Iceland and Greenland; the latest information on salmon diseases in the main rivers; the information on salmon fishing outside the 12 mile zone; the details of conservation measures since 1972; and the export and processing figures for salmon.
Written Answers - Salmon Catches.
347.
The annual salmon catches by all methods and value thereof, together with particles of the number of licences issued by each fisheries board, exports of fresh and processed salmon and details of statutory conservation measures are given each year in the annual report on Sea and Inland Fisheries published by my Department. Copies of the report are laid before each House of the Oireachtas and are available in the Dáil Library. The most recent report so available relates to the year 1981. The annual report for 1982 is being printed at present and will be published shortly. I will arrange to have a copy sent to the Deputy. The report for 1983 is being prepared and the report for 1984 will be prepared as usaual at the close of the year.
Official statistics relating to salmon catches are compiled from catch returns furnished by salmon fishermen of all kinds in the prescribed form issued under the Statistics Acts, 1926 and 1946, and from statistical information supplied to my Department by the regional fisheries boards.
It is suggested that illegally caught salmon are not always recorded in the registers and records required to be kept by licensed salmon dealers and others but it is not possible to specify the quantity of salmon involved. As part of their fishery protection function the fisheries boards are alert to this situation and make every effort to deal with it.
Two minesweepers have participated in salmon conservation measures during the period June to mid-August in recent years. The Naval Service operates in aid of the civil power and all patrols are accompanied by an officer of a regional board and a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of sergeant.
Salmon catches off the Faroese Islands and Greenland are limited to an annual catch quota of 625 tonnes and 1,190 tonnes respectively. These quotas are subject to international annual review and agreement. As a member state of the EEC and as an important state of origin for salmon, Ireland takes an active role in these international negotiations. Iceland is a state of origin for salmon, like Ireland, which carries on a salmon fishing industry and implements appropriate salmon conservation measures.
The latest information on salmon diseases, including UDN, in the main rivers indicates that the incidence of disease has decreased in recent years. Reports indicate that in some areas off our coast salmon fishing takes place illegally outside 12 miles from baselines and steps are being taken to combat this abuse.