Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has approved legislation to govern wild salmon and sea trout fisheries in 2023, which came into effect from January 1st. The new legislation will see 81 rivers available for salmon and sea trout fishing, 48 of which will be fully open, and with a further 33 open for “catch and release”.
Overall, the general improvement in stocks has been maintained, but effort and persistence are required to see that all river stocks improve over time. Stocks are dependent on everyone increasing their efforts in facing up to environmental, climate and biodiversity impacts from human interventions, the Minister said.
In supporting the new legislation, Mr Ryan received scientific advice from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in relation to more than 140 genetically wild salmon stocks. Assessments are carried out annually by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (Tegos) – an all-island scientific group comprising of experts from a range of bodies.
The conservation limit is the number of adult spawning fish required to maintain a healthy stock in each river. The key issue is improvement in water quality. Many of our rivers are not at a sufficiently high level of water quality to support sustainable stocks, and this is often caused by agricultural activities, and to a lesser extent, insufficient treatment of waste water.
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This year’s advice was made available as part of a statutory public consultation process during which written submissions from stakeholders were sought on the draft regulations.
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“Ireland has long been internationally recognised for embedding the conservation imperative as a vital component of our management of the precious salmon resource,” Mr Ryan said.
“I intend to set out options for improvement, with an even greater focus on conservation in our management regime and for modernising licensing requirements, to ensure access to the resource where its conservation and biodiversity needs are met.”
Anglers’ responses wanted
As members of the Fédération Internationale Peche Sportif-ed (FIPSed), the National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI) presents teams on an annual basis to participate in world championship competitions. Each year, team managers invite expressions of interest from members and, as they review opportunities for 2023, managers Vincent Walsh (float) and Brenton Sweeney (feeder), would welcome a response from anglers interested in fishing on the world stage.
For the first time, NCFFI invites women anglers interested in forming a float team to take part in the FIPSed championships for women in Serbia in August 2023.
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Those interested in any of the above events are advised to register urgently, otherwise decisions will be made on which championships NCFFI will attend. Register your interest now at ncffi.ie
Two found guilty
Two Carlow men have been found guilty of fishing illegally for wild salmon on the river Slaney and for obstructing a fisheries officer, in a prosecution brought by Inland Fisheries Ireland. Sitting before Judge Geraldine Carthy at Carlow District Court, the two men were found guilty of all charges against them.
On March 29th, 2022, a covert protection operation was carried out by a fisheries unit, supported by local staff, at a time of year when wild salmon were extremely vulnerable during the “spring run” up the river Slaney.
In the townland of Kilcarry, the two defendants were observed fishing for wild salmon during the closed season, using angling equipment contrary to bylaws.
One defendant was fined €1,500 and ordered to pay a further €750 prosecution costs for the three charges against him. These included obstructing a fisheries officer, using a lure other than artificial fly and attempting to use fish hooks other than barbless hooks.
The second defendant, who pleaded guilty, received a €400 fine for using a lure other than artificial fly and using single or double barbless hooks. The judge took the remaining two charges into consideration – obstructing and assaulting a fisheries officer. Both men also had their fishing rods and reels seized.
IFI’s Lynda Connor, said: “The illegal fishing of wild salmon puts the survival of this protected species into jeopardy, not just in rivers here in the southeast like the Slaney, Nore, Barrow and Suir, but in every Irish river. At Inland Fisheries Ireland, we have a zero-tolerance approach to serious environmental crime and we initiate prosecutions, where possible.”
Members of the public are being urged to continue reporting suspicions of illegal fishing activity to IFI’s 24-hour hotline at 0818 34 74 24.
If you have an angling story to share, please send to me at angling@irishtimes.com
