Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2017
746. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if consideration is being given to the reopening of fishing rights on a river (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10321/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2006 the Government affirmed its commitment to manage the wild salmon fishery in line with the scientific advice in the interests of conservation of stocks. Since 2007, the harvest of salmon, by commercial fishing and recreational angling has been restricted to those rivers that are meeting their individual conservation limits for wild salmon.
Research into salmon genetics indicates 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 as mature salmon to spawn and propagate the next generation of salmon distinctive to that river.
The harvesting of salmon either by recreational anglers or commercial draft net fishermen is only considered in rivers where the estimated salmon returns are above the conservation limit for any particular river. The conservation limit for any river is the number of adult spawning fish required to maintain a viable and sustainable salmon population.
The status of the stock in each of Ireland’s 147 designated salmon rivers, sections of rivers and estuaries is reviewed annually by the Standing Scientific Committee (SSC) comprised of Scientists from a range of organisations. The independent scientific advice provided by the Committee underpins the management decisions made by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in respect of the opening or closing of a river for angling and commercial fishing for salmon on an individual river basis.
The annual Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations, made under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, provide for the management of Ireland's wild salmon and sea trout fisheries by IFI. Specifically, the Regulations provide for the quotas of fish (surplus to the conservation limits) that can be harvested either commercially or by rod and line from those rivers identified in the Schedule to the Regulations. These Regulations are revised each year taking account of advice from IFI, the Standing Scientific Committee and any submissions received during a 30 day statutory public consultation period.
In assessing the status of salmon stocks for any particular river, the Committee draws on a number of data sets including rod and commercial catch data, fish counter data and the results from catchment wide electro-fishing. The SSC provides advice for the purposes of wild salmon and sea trout management for the river system in question based on fish counter data.
The fish counter on the river referred to by the Deputy continues to indicate that the conservation limit for wild salmon is not being met. However, the SSC carried out an additional assessment via catchment-wide electro-fishing to establish the presence of juvenile fish. On the basis of this assessment the river is currently open for Catch and Release angling.
