New salmon conservation measures

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan has announced measures to help conserve Irish salmon stocks in 2008.

The new regulations, bye-laws and orders are based on scientific advice received by the Minister. A conservation levy of 50 per cent of the salmon rod licence fee is designed to help the Fisheries Boards to rehabilitate salmon stocks, and Mr Ryan has ordered the boards to make those rivers that are below their conservation limits and have greatest prospect of recovery a priority.

He also opened 27 rivers for salmon fishing, bringing the number to 77.

"In future the harvest of salmon, by any means, will be restricted to those stocks of rivers that are meeting their conservation limits," he said.

The boards are also getting and extra €4 million until 2009 to fund enforcement and protection efforts.   Conservation methods introduced in 2007, including a ban on drift netting, have already reduced the commercial salmon catch by almost 90 per cent, from 86,400 in 2006 to 8,846 in 2007.