Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021
187. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of inshore drift and draft net fishing licences that were relinquished in the 2005 decommissioning scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57063/21]
View answer188. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of inshore drift and draft net fishing licences that are still retained by licence holders as of the October 2021 scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57064/21]
View answer189. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if a follow-up stock study has been carried out to ascertain if fish stocks for drift and draft net fishing licences have reached levels to allow fishing to resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57065/21]
View answer190. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department will reintroduce the buy-out scheme in view of the fact that many continuing drift and draft net fishing licence holders are approaching retirement age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57066/21]
View answer191. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the 16 years of inactivity will be included for pension purposes in view of the fact that those who retained their drift and draft net fishing licence have not been subsequently allowed to restart their fishing activities and earn their living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57067/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 187 to 191, inclusive, together.
Commercial salmon fishing licences are public licences which must be taken out annually under the provisions of the Fisheries Acts. Such licences are also entirely permissive in nature, confer no fishing rights on the licensee, are not the property of the holder and cannot be held on a permanent basis. Therefore no licences are retained as they expire at the end of the year of issue including after the introduction of the Hardship Scheme. In addition, licences were not relinquished under the Hardship Scheme but, as part of the conditions of payment, payees undertook not to apply for an annual commercial salmon licence post the scheme. The number of annual public commercial salmon fishing licences issued for 2021 is 79.
The scheme closed in 2008 with all funds expended. There are currently no plans to introduce a similar scheme. I have no function in the matter of pensions.
In order to comply with the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive and the principles of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), Ireland manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis.
Rivers, where a commercial fishery has existed, are open to commercial harvest in any year only where the individual river is sufficiently exceeding its conservation limit (CL) so that there is a sustainable harvestable surplus available based on the annual reviews . Estuaries are open only where all contributing rivers sufficiently exceed their individual CL to avoid indiscriminate commercial exploitation of the mixed stock within the estuary. Rivers below their CL are closed to all harvest (commercial or rod) in line with the conservation imperative. The latest analysis for 2021 along with that for previous years is available at the following link :Technical Expert Group on Salmon | TEGOS | Inland Fisheries Ireland .
Since 2007, commercial harvest of salmon at sea has been ceased by Government decision. Commercial fishing for salmon at sea targets multiple stocks from rivers in Ireland and other European countries. These stocks cannot be disaggregated at sea and such harvest is indiscriminate in targeting vulnerable or endangered stocks within the mix of stocks and is inconsistent with the EU Habitats Directive. Following the Government decision in 2006, a €25m Hardship Scheme was established which was open to all holders of a commercial salmon licence. The Hardship Scheme predated the establishment of IFI and was administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). I understand that 1,046 fishermen availed of the scheme.
