I understand that the Deputy is referring to a fishery on the River Laune in County Kerry which is part of the property entitled the Bourn Vincent Memorial Park which was gifted to the nation for the purposes of a national park. The Bourn Vincent Memorial Park Act, 1932, provides that the State shall maintain and manage the park as a national park for the general purpose of the recreation and enjoyment of the public.
The River Laune forms part of the Laune-Lein catchment which is the subject of a catchment management project under the aegis of the South Western Regional Fisheries Board.
The Laune-Leine catchment management project is one of a number of projects under way at present as a means of testing and encouraging the catchment management concept at local level. The members of the Laune-Leine Catchment Management Group have agreed a management plan for restoration and sustainable development of salmon stocks in the catchment. The group has as an objective the building of consensus among all local interests in the catchment, including anglers currently outside the process.
The South Western Board informs me that the group has submitted an application to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands for the management of the fishery in accordance with the applicable legislation and in accordance with the management plan for the catchment as a whole. Any decision on the application of the group is, of course, a matter for my ministerial colleague.
