Eamon Gilmore
Question:97 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Finance the progress which has been made to develop the Royal and Grand Canals into a coarse angling fishery; and the amount which has been spent to date in 1990 on this project.
Written Answers. - Canals Fishery Project.
Eamon Gilmore
Question:99 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Finance the progress which has been made to develop the Grand and Royal Canals into a coarse angling fishery; and the amount which has been spent to date on this project.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 99 together.
The development of the canals as a fishery is being undertaken on a phased basis under the environment action programme announced earlier this year. It is envisaged that the project will take five years to complete. The field work and other research is being undertaken by the Central Fisheries Board on a repayment basis from the Office of Public Works. The Central Fisheries Board have so far been paid £15,000 by the Office of Public Works.
The 1990 work programme, which is underway at present, has the following principal elements:
—approximately 90 km of canal channel to be electrically fished during the summer to determine existing quantities, species etc.;
—large numbers of fish to be individually and batch tagged to study migration;
—additional fish to be transferred into the system and possible new sources of supply explored;
—the first stage of a special breeding programme to be commenced;
—sections of canal which might suitably accommodate brown trout to be designated and stocked;
—a pilot scheme of fishing stands which would be permanently fixed in the canal bank to be established.