Angling Notes: Records set for twaite shad and smooth hound in 2015

Specimen hunters and other anglers again managed to catch large fish covering the range of species normally reported, with new records established for twaite shad and smooth hound, according to the Irish Specimen Fish Committee report for 2015.

Thomas Lynch from Rush, Co Dublin, surpassed the 1999 twaite shad record by .1kg with a fish of 1.64kg using a Tasmanian Devil lure on the river Barrow at St Mullins, Co Carlow.

A gap of .90kg (2lb) separated the 2000 record smooth hound from Garech Murphy's new record of 8.62kg (19lb), caught on peeler crab while fishing with charter skipper Kit Dunne out from Wicklow last May.

Claims were similar to previous years although a greater number will have to be revisited. In all, 547 claims were processed with 447 ratified, 23 rejected for non-compliance with the rules and a further 77 to be queried further.

Thick-lipped mullet, smooth hound and, in freshwater, carp accounted for 40 per cent of the specimen claims.

After careful consideration, four species are to be relisted, ie common skate, angel shark (monkfish), undulate ray and porbeagle shark strictly as length-based specimens which allows them to be returned alive to the water.

The reason for restoring these species is to collect data on their distribution and status which is scientifically valuable and, to provide more species for anglers to target as specimens.

On a more serious note, because the ISFC is a voluntary body comprising of volunteers giving their own time, or those whose employers give the time in the interest of fisheries science, services have always been free to anglers.

Costs are incurred for the awards, presentations, genetic analyses and production of the annual report. However, following reduction in some key sponsorship and erosion of our limited reserves, the committee is urgently seeking to restore lost funding to keep sustainable.

Salmon season

Fifteen days into the angling salmon season and still we await the first fish of the year. Drowes river fisheries manager

Bill Likely

said two fish were lost, one last Sunday and the other on Wednesday.

“Conditions are coming good with water levels falling back. We would expect a fish in the next few days,” he said.

*A report on the findings of a fish stock survey undertaken in all water bodies during 2014 was launched recently by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The report, Sampling Fish for the Water Framework Directive, also outlines the ecological status in each water body.

The programme has continued annually since 2007 at specified locations and the second year of a third three-year cycle concluded in 2014 with an extensive surveillance monitoring programme of 70 river sites, 26 lakes and seven transitional water bodies throughout the country.

IFI's Dr Cathal Gallagher, said: "This work provides information on the ecological status of fish species in selected water bodies as well as information on their abundance, growth and population demographics." The report is available at wfdfish.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/WFD_Report_2014_FINAL.pdf.

Conservation zones

Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister,

Mark Durkan

, has announced a public consultation process over four proposed marine conservation zones (MCZ) at the mouth of Belfast Lough, around Rathlin Island, Carlingford Lough and Red Bay, Co Antrim.

The “management options” for the area include prohibiting the use of mobile fishing gear and a no-anchoring rule within the zones to prevent damage to the ocean quahog population.

Marine task force officer Rebecca Hunter said: "In January and February we will be visiting communities across Northern Ireland to engage with schools, community groups, businesses and political audiences on the proposed MCZs and how we believe they will help protect the natural resources of our seas."

The consultation process will be open until March 11th and can be accessed at: doeni.gov.uk/consultations/marine-conservation-zones-consultation.

angling@irishtimes.com