The decline of salmon in the sister-rivers of the south-east is unfortunately confirmed in the first overall tally attempted in relation to last year's catch.
The Southern Regional Fisheries Board, which watches over the Barrow, Nore, Suir and Munster Blackwater rivers, carried out a survey of angling clubs in its region, as well as examining the purchases and sales recorded in the registers of licensed salmon dealers.
Its report on game angling in the region in 1997 says salmon angling was considered to have been fairly poor, particularly in the early season. The decline in spring fish numbers was marked in all the rivers. If it had not been for late-season runs of fish in August and September, the verdict on the angling season would have been little short of calamitous.
Ironically, the floods which disrupted so many communities in August and September gave a welcome late boost to both salmon and anglers. The fisheries board report notes that the sudden rise in water levels "coincided with a run of salmon into the estuaries and encouraged their rapid movement upstream to fresh water where they provided some very good fishing as the flood waters receded".
The report calculates that the number of rod-caught fish in the region was 6,395 salmon for the 1997 season. This represents 27 per cent of the adjusted total catch - 24,054 salmon - which includes netted fish.
In spite of the overall disappointment with the season, the southern region was the second most productive game angling region in Ireland last year, after the North-West Fisheries Region, which recorded a total of 11,557 rod-caught salmon.
The Munster Blackwater topped the rod-catch returns for the southern region, with 3,918 salmon taken (approximately 2,360 of them on private/tourist fisheries). However, the Blackwater is one of Ireland's leading salmon rivers, and expectations of good catches are always high. The report says this year was "particularly disappointing" as it was the one river in the region that produced fewer fish to the rod than in recent years.
On the plus side, it was reported late in the year that the number of salmon moving upstream appeared to have increased since the angling season ended in September.
Salmon anglers on the Suir had a varied season, recording some 841 rod-caught salmon. Spring fish numbers were very low, but the late-season flood brought "excellent" salmon angling on the lower Suir. Some 40-65 fish, all within the eight to 14lb range, were caught in the Carrick-on-Suir club waters from September 4th to 6th. The following week 15 to 20 fish were caught per day.
The Nore yielded 1,402 salmon to the rod. The Barrow suffered serious blows to its salmon stocks during the late 1980s through major fish kills caused by pollution, but remedial measures - chiefly the co-operation of drainage boards in avoiding spawning and nursery areas - are slowly increasing fish numbers. The survey estimates a total of 234 rod-caught salmon for the river.
The board remarks in its report that the availability of catch data is "a sine qua non of fishery management". It urges the Marine Institute, together with the fisheries boards and with the co-operation of commercial and recreational groups, to put in place a national data base system for monitoring salmon-catch statistics for all sectors.