Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2016
27. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the measures taken in the last year to examine salmon and eel stock levels in rivers in County Wexford; his plans to re-open a hardship scheme for drift net licence holders on the rivers Barrow, Nore, Suir and Slaney; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21503/16]
View answerThere are five salmon rivers in County Wexford on the list of 147 salmon rivers, sections of rivers or estuaries managed annually by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) on the basis of advice received from the Standing Scientific Committee on Salmon (SSCS); the Owenavorragh, Slaney, Corock, Owenduff and Pollmounty Rivers. The SSCS is a statutorily independent committee comprised of scientists from IFI, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Loughs Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Marine Institute, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (Northern Ireland), and other State bodies and third level institutions.
Three methods (rod catch, counter and electric fishing) are used by the SSCS to assess salmon stocks in Co. Wexford salmon rivers.
The harvest of salmon is restricted to those stocks of rivers that are meeting their conservation limits. The individual river management strategy is based on the fact that each of Ireland’s salmon rivers has its own unique stock of salmon which migrates to sea as juveniles and returns to the same river in adulthood to spawn and create the next generation of fish exclusive to that river. Fisheries are only considered in rivers where the estimated returns are above the conservation limit for the river.
The salmon assessment methodologies used in Ireland are considered internationally as best practice, with many other countries moving towards the development of similar scientific assessment models for salmon stock conservation.
The Salmon Hardship Scheme was introduced following a Government decision in 2006 to cease, for conservation reasons, the commercial salmon mixed stock fishery. Under the scheme, fishermen active in the commercial salmon fishery, could opt to voluntarily cease fishing and undertake not to seek a licence in the future.
In excess of €25m was allocated to the scheme to facilitate payments to fishermen, with a further €5m provided for community development projects. The scheme closed for applications on 31 December 2007 and ceased in 2008. I understand that all funds were expended and there are currently no plans to revisit such a scheme. Public commercial fishing licences are issued annually on a prescribed application basis and, therefore, are not transferable or inheritable. There is no property right attaching to them.
Ireland’s Eel Management Plan (EMP) was reviewed in 2015 in line with EU requirements. IFI carried out a comprehensive public consultation process as part of the review. Based on management advice from IFI, and having considered all aspects of their report, the existing conservation measures in Ireland’s EMP remains in place up to mid-2018. Conservation of Eel Fishing Bye-law No. C.S. 319, 2015 prohibits fishing for eel, or possessing or selling eel caught in a river in the State and ceases to have effect on 30 June 2018.
The latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) for 2016 (published October 2015) is that “the status of eel remains critical and that all anthropogenic mortality (e.g. recreational and commercial fishing, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) affecting production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible.” There is no change in the perception of the status of the stock as being critically endangered.
On 24 November 2015 the then Minister of State announced a new collaborative research initiative involving IFI scientists and a number of former eel fishermen to further develop national knowledge of the species and its medium to longer term potential for recovery. A scientific fishery is to be undertaken for three years commencing in 2016 to increase data and knowledge ahead of further review of eel management measures in 2018.
There is no right attached to a public eel licence and therefore the issue of compensation does not arise.
I am happy to arrange a more detailed briefing for the Deputy if required.
