Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014
436. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to permit fishing in an area (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1466/14]
View answerI am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state Agency responsible for the Inland Fisheries Resource, that the River Fergus is currently closed to salmon angling as the most recent available salmon stock information derived from rod catch returns indicates that the river is not meeting its conservation limit.
I am also advised that the conservation limit for the River Fergus is only reaching 9% of its conservation limit. I am assured that the river remains a high priority for Inland Fisheries Ireland and significant efforts have been made since 2007, when for conservation reasons it was closed for salmon angling, to determine the annual salmon stock status.
While permission under the Planning Acts was not granted to IFI to install a crump weir and fish counter on the Fergus in 2011, in September 2013 IFI was able to install a Logie counter into the new fish pass incorporated to the OPW flood relief scheme. This counter will provide information on the returns of salmon to the Fergus. In future years, these returns will offer the scientists a primary index on the status of salmon in the Fergus.
Catchment wide electro-fishing is another method used to assess salmon rivers where no rod catch or counter data is available. The method is only used for rivers where there is no other index of stock. The River Fergus has been surveyed 4 times since 2007; in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013. Due to high water level conditions in 2011 and 2012 catchment wide electro-fishing was not possible. The following table indicates the number of sites surveyed and results returned. The sole index for salmon abundance on the Fergus indicates it is substantially below the Catchment-wide electro-fishing threshold value of 17 salmon fry (average 7.4 salmon fry over all surveys to date) and would not qualify for the Catch & Release management option.
|
FERGUS |
2007 |
2009 |
2010 |
2013 |
|
No of sites sampled |
19 |
35 |
39 |
75 |
|
Catchment-wide average |
13 |
4 |
6 |
5.9 |
