The Deputy will appreciate that the majority of fisheries are either privately owned or without proper title and that only a small number of fisheries are under State ownership.
The vast majority of State fisheries are managed by the central and regional fisheries boards which are independent statutory bodies charged with responsibility for the protection, conservation, development and improvement of fisheries in general. Many of these State fisheries are leased, mainly to angling clubs, following public tender. These licences provide, among other matters, that angling be made available to local and visiting anglers at reasonable rates.