At last, a cold-eyed analysis has been conducted to establish the economic value of our wild salmon fisheries.
At a time when value-for-money has moved to the forefront of the Government's agenda, a report for the Central Fisheries Board sets out clear recommendations on how this natural resource can be protected and developed, while providing the greatest economic return to the State and to local communities.
The research, by a firm of international economic consultants, concludes that the greatest advantage on economic/socio-economic grounds can be achieved through a rebalancing of wild salmon exploitation from commercial fisheries towards tourist angling. Taking as a starting point the need for effective stock conservation measures, the report proposes a halving of the catch by drift-net fishermen at sea. Eighty per cent of this reduction would contribute towards increasing the spawning stocks in river catchments and to rebuilding wild salmon populations. The remaining 20 per cent would be allocated to the development of angling tourism.
Under existing management systems, the value of the commercial wild salmon fishing sector for the ten years, 2002 to 2012, has been estimated at almost €36 million, compared to almost €92 million for salmon angling. The changes proposed in the report would cut the value of the commercial sector to almost €24 million, but the value of the angling sector, through increased tourist and domestic activity, would grow to almost €147 million. There would be a net gain to the economy of €43 million.
The rapid decline in wild salmon stocks led to a reduction in the number of commercial net licences in 1997; a shorter fishing season and a reduction in the offshore fishing limit from 12 to 6 nautical miles. This was followed by a tagging and logbook scheme for both commercial fishermen and anglers in 2001 and, since then, catch quotas have been reduced.
If the recommendations contained in this report are acted upon by the Government, compensation for driftnet fishermen and for other netsmen who surrender their licences will be provided. Commercial fishing may be confined to inshore bays and estuaries and catch limits will be imposed on anglers in order to ensure that each river has a viable population of wild salmon. It is inevitable that there will be resistance to these restrictions from both commercial and angling interests. But the long-term survival of wild salmon in Irish waters is at stake and the Government should follow through on the good work it has already done. For the first time, the economic benefits of a proper conservation and development programme are there for all to see.