Sir, - Hard on the heels of your recent report on salmon-flavour research comes Michael Viney's fascinating description of how the fisheries boards are increasing salmon and sea-trout populations. While this is obviously important for anglers, everybody has a vital economic, cultural and environmental interest in wild salmonid enhancement.
With the right approach, our river systems can be turned into wildlife corridors, both in the water and along the banks - indeed, why not also widen these corridors by setting aside nearby surplus agricultural land? Not only is this a tremendous plus for the environment, it also provides us with wonderful new angling assets in all parts of the country with which to entice tourists to come, spend and create jobs.
Cleaning and restoring our rivers, and removing the natural and man-made obstacles, is a long-term (seven-to-ten-year) task. But this relatively unskilled work, located all over the country, is ideal for the many long-term unemployed who lack the skills needed for the new high-technology industries.
There are more benefits. The numbers of wild salmon returning from the sea each year can be trebled, or more. This means much bigger commercial salmon catches (sustainably managed), while still leaving many more fish for the anglers. Then the marketing of these high-quality salmon can be used to position all Irish salmon exports firmly in the high-quality segment of the market, so essential for the future of the industry.
Finally, consider the salmon as a cultural icon. The story of the Salmon of Knowledge reminds us that people on this island have had a hugely significant relationship with this wonderful and mysterious creature for thousands of years. Are we prepared to risk losing or even diminishing it? A modest investment, intelligently applied on an all-island basis, can reverse the decline and restore the salmon to its previous economic and cultural significance. The profits are large, and everybody, including the environment, wins! - Yours, etc.,
Glenarm, Co Antrim BT44 0AA.