Vol. 524 No. 5
181 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the membership of the National Salmon Commission; the number of meetings held to date; and when the recommendations of the commission will be finalised. [23200/00]
The membership of the National Salmon Commission consists of a chairperson and twenty other members. Seventeen of these members were appointed by me on the nomination of the following organisations: the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association; the Barrow-Nore-Suir Snap Net Fishermen's Alliance; the Western Gamefishing Association; the Wild Salmon Support Group; the Irish Fishermen's Organisation, three members; the Traditional Net Inshore Fishermen's Association; the Irish Salmon Growers Association; the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers; the National Anglers Representative Association; the Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland; the Central Fisheries Board; a Regional Fisheries Board; the Marine Institute; the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission; the Electricity Supply Board.
The commission has met five times in plenary session to date and has already completed its work on the consideration of draft regulations for a scheme of carcass tagging for wild salmon. Following the recommendation of the commission I have signed regulations to provide for the tagging scheme to commence on 1 January 2001. Salmon tagging will provide valuable management information as a real time basis. There is however a great deal more to be done to effectively conserve and manage salmon stocks. I have asked the commission to analyse and advise me on a range of priority issues as follows: expanding and upgrading the national fish counter programme; enhanced spring salmon conservation strategies; catchment management strategies; the water quality challenge; incentivising reduction of commercial fishing effort; predation.
