asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry the plans he has to restock lakes with fish with a view to attracting more angling tourists to Ireland; and the progress, if any, which has been made on this matter in recent years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Restocking of Lakes.
19.
The central and regional fisheries boards are, and will continue to be, involved in an ongoing programme of restocking of certain lakes for the benefit of anglers including angling tourists.
Is the Minister satisfied that sufficient funds have been made available to the central board to carry out the valuable work they are undertaking? Is the Minister not aware that the central and regional fisheries boards are inadequately financed and not in a position to undertake work of any significance?
The Deputy would probably contend that all of our lakes are insufficiently stocked. There was a press release by the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry, on 24 September 1986, stating that he had decided to defer the closure of the trout angling season on certain lakes — on the Kilkee reservoir and in the Shannon fisheries region this year and in future years — until 12 October rather than 1 October which has been the practice to date. The reason for this is that scientific evidence indicates that stocks of trout in these lakes are under-exploited at present, which would indicate that the policy pursued by the regional board in the area is quite successful. The extension of the trout angling season would result in increased exploitation of these stocks, especially as there will be sufficient emerging insects in October to make angling worthwhile. The Minister went on to say that the extension of the trout angling season would also go some way towards generating valuable tourist revenue during the off-peak period.