I have not had a great deal of experience of fisheries except that I have become acquainted with the ordinary exercise of catching a trout or a perch in the smaller rivers or the tributaries of the various larger rivers. For that reason what I know of the implications of the Bill so far as fish nets or other kinds of extensive fishing on big rivers is very limited.
This Bill deals with the various species of fish which breed in our rivers and lakes. We have had the controlling powers by the ESB and the Minister for Fisheries in the various Governments down the years in regard to how fish life might be protected in the various rivers but in recent times the environment fish-wise has changed immensely. We have today circumstances where fishery promotion and fish life generally is inhibited to a very great extent compared with 20 or 30 years ago. It is evident to every Member of the House that there are certain times of the year when the application of fertilisers on land has a very adverse effect on fish life. After heavy rain the fertiliser is swept into the water and we have had the evidence of many hundreds of these fish being found dead in various fish beds. Because of various types of pollution fish life is not able to enjoy the opportunity that existed in the early part of this century. For that reason an improved system of protection in regard to pollution is necessary and should be implemented. As far as some of the efforts being made are concerned the effect is minimal. For instance, where Bord na Móna works have been promoted and where drainage has been carried out a considerable amount of filth, dust and turf mould has been swept into tributaries of the Shannon, particularly the Inny, and in consequence the salmon are no longer in the area. In addition, perch and trout, once to be found in these rivers, are not there now in the same numbers. That is something that has greatly changed the fishery image as far as production is concerned.
The haunts of trout and perch are well known to everybody. Anglers know the rivers where they will get perch and trout. Some of these species will not be found in the same rivers as the others. The people who usually fish are now confronted with circumstances not altogether due to the scarcity of fish but due to restrictions being made on them by the particular interest that certain people have a right to claim in this country and which down the years has been supported by various Governments.
The right of people to fish with a rod and line in their own localities or in the immediate area, whether that belongs to some outside interest or not, should be made available to the people without restriction. It is in the interests of tourism and the promotion of industry that people who want to come to work and live here should have this accommodation available to them without any hindrance or difficulty. I am not suggesting that there should not be protection and the control by people paying a nominal licence for using a fishing rod or other gear.
Rivers in the country are being cleaned, lowered and levelled. It is stated—I do not know if it can be contradicted—that where the natural haunts of fish have been found and where spawning had been known to take place in some of the smaller rivers that have been cleaned, that these locations have been altered so much that spawning no longer takes place. The Board of Works or whatever authority is responsible for the control of fisheries seem to have neglected the importance of promoting or providing a proper fishing location in the areas. The Minister should have a survey made to ensure that in such areas where it was evident that there were spawning locations these should be provided again. The whole interest of getting rid of floods and improving agricultural land should go hand in hand with providing an environment where fish can continue to increase, where they can spawn and where they can be found in large numbers.
Some parts of the country where eels were not usually found are being identified with eel fishing at the moment. I understand mud has come into some of the rivers and the eels have found a haunt that did not exist there before. I do not know what the effect of eels in a river is or whether other fish make it their haunt as well. I understand that where rivers are deep and sluggish and where mud has filtered in as a result of Bord na Móna drainage the eel population has increased immensely.
We know that salmon do not spawn in some of the rivers. Opportunities for salmon to go upstream now are very different from what they were before arterial drainage was carried out, when small elevations in the streams or rivers were removed as a result of that drainage and as it was not considered necessary to provide a by-pass for the fish they have ceased to go into these areas. People living in such areas have been puzzled by this. Salmon are not found in some of the streams in which previously they were found, particularly in some of the Boyne tributaries. Salmon fishing is of such importance to this country from several points of view that it should not be the victim to progress in relation either to the manufacture of goods, the fertilisation of land or any other cause whatever. It is a pity that in the midlands some tributaries of the Erne are not extensively cleaned and extensively protected. The levels on them should be maintained at their predrainage level.
I understand that Lough Sheelin is one of these rivers where because of drainage and lowering the level of the lake fish food and algae have disappeared and the fish have become scarce. A new level will have to be found at which the particular food that is the life of the fish can be replaced. Fishing on Lough Sheelin, any of the lakes or rivers Fishing is a pastime we would all like to be able to indulge in. If we offer good fishing tourists will be encouraged to come here to fish on the Shannon, Lough Sheelin any of the lakes or rivers in the west or the south or in any part of the country. If tourists find that certain industrial alterations have taken place and because of this there is pollution on the rivers where they formerly found fish, they will not come back again. We have to be very careful that pollution does not occur. When we see certain people prosecuted for causing pollution even at a very remote distance from rivers we may take that as an advance in the right direction which may not be immediately apparent to the people prosecuted.
A policy promoting co-operation between the fisheries authorities and the agricultural community, as well as industrialists, should be undertaken immediately like the co-operation the Minister and his predecessors have been promoting in relation to lands and forests. That co-operation has brought considerable advantage to the Department of Land, which is the twin responsibility of the Minister here today.
If the Minister can ensure co-operation by the immediate landowners, the industrialists and agricultural producers of pig slurry and so on, people will regard fisheries as being a national interest.
I would like to wish the Minister well in relation to the Bill. I hope that when it comes to reviewing the interests associated with the effort being made in four, five or ten years, that we will be able to look back and say that what we have been doing so far as fisheries are concerned on our rivers and lakes has been very beneficial to the people of Ireland.