I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue. I have a very simple request to make of the Minister and I hope he will find it possible to accede to it.
In 1998, the then Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Woods, made an order deferring the normal opening of the fishing season on the River Barrow from 1 March to 17 March to take account of the presence of spring salmon in the river in that early part of the season.
We have experienced four seasons of that deferral of the opening of the fishing season and I have been informed that in those four years no salmon have been found on the upper reaches of the River Barrow, that is, upstream of Athy. I am sure the Minister will appreciate that anglers on the upper reaches of the River Barrow now find that their fishing season is being artificially restricted because of the fear of interference with the spring run of salmon. Since no salmon have been found over the past four years on the upper reaches of the River Barrow, upstream of Athy, they ask now that an order be made opening the fishery on that part of the river on the normal date, 1 March, so they can regain the period of almost three weeks which has been lost to them each season for the past four seasons in their fisheries.
I am sure it will be possible for the Minister to verify the accuracy of what I am saying. As I understand it, the order was made in 1998 at the request of the Southern Regional Fisheries Board. I am not entirely sure whether all of the angler groups on the river were in entire agreement at that stage. My impression is that they went along with the proposal because of their concern with conservation but, as I have said, the experience of the past four years is that salmon do not penetrate to the upper reaches of the river. For that reason it seems to me entirely appropriate, and not at all out of keeping with the conservation and management policies which I know the Minister is anxious to promote, to recognise the factual situation on the upper reaches of the river and to make an order or take whatever steps are appropriate to allow the fishing to open upstream of Athy as and from 1 March.