Vol. 493 No. 3
131 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on a recent move by ESB to impose charges for coarse angling on the Inniscarra Dam in County Cork; and the assessment, if any, his Department has carried out on the impact that the charges will have on the marketing of Ireland as a coarse angling destination. [16269/98]
I understand that the project to develop the angling product at Inniscarra includes the charging of fees for angling. Revenue generation by fishery owners is an option available to them for consideration in the context of investment to develop and enhance angling facilities and the fishery itself.
The marketing of Ireland as a prime angling destination for game, sea or coarse fishing will be built on the quality, variety and accessibility of fisheries and associated tourism infrastructure. Experience in this country and elsewhere is that tourism anglers generally will have no difficulty in paying a charge, where appropriate, for access to a superior angling product.
