Inland Fisheries

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 November 2023

Wednesday, 22 November 2023

Questions (39)

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

39. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his inland fisheries division officials, in conjunction with the senior management team of Inland Fisheries Ireland, have any plans to reduce the number of blue gill tags from the accustomed ten gill tags that may be issued to individual salmon anglers on Lough Corrib SAC in 2024 considering the quota has reduced from 3,331 salmon to 1,938 salmon in twelve months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51456/23]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Eamon Ryan)

There are no plans to reduce the number of blue gill tags from the accustomed ten gill tags that may be issued to individual salmon anglers on Lough Corrib SAC in 2024 considering the quota has reduced from 3,331 salmon to 1,938 salmon in twelve months. 

The following table sets out the total salmon rod catch for both salmon Caught and Released (C&R) and harvested for the years 2018-2022 on the Corrib (2023 data not yet available) taken from the salmon angling logbooks returned to Inland Fisheries Ireland for each of those years.  It was considered for 2024 season, that the reduced quota to 1,938 salmon was not in danger of being breached given the average harvest per annum is 1,322 salmon in the 2018-2022 period, therefore no reduction in gill tags is required or proposed at this time.

The rod catch for the past 5 years has been as follows;

Year	C&R	Harvest	Total Catch
2022	245	1,329	1,574
2021	256	1,437	1,693
2020	199	1,154	1,353
2019	205	1,212	1,417
2018	194	1,479	1,672

IFI draft response