Salmon conservation scheme for improvements in the environment

ANGLING clubs, commercial fishermen, fishery owners, riparian landowners and landowners with an interest in a salmon fishery are invited to submit projects to the Salmon Conservation Contributors Scheme.

An initial fund of €200,000 is available in 2014 and approved applications may be fully or partly funded. It is envisaged the fund will be divided between a range of contributors, at approximately €15,000 per project.

Guidelines for funding include fish passage improvement, spawning enhancement; in-stream structures, riverbank protection, fencing, riparian zone improvement, removal and control of exotic invasive species and feasibility studies. A maximum of five studies will be allowed.

Full details can be obtained from any Inland Fisheries Ireland office. Deadline for receipt of applications is February 28th.

Salmon farming criticised
Anglers and environmental groups have welcomed a recent statement from Slow Food International (SFI) disapproving salmon farming. SFI biodiversity president Piero Sardo does not consider open net pen fish farms an environmentally sound practice because it damages natural ecosystems, including wild stocks, habitats and water quality.

Slow Food acknowledges the value of traditional wild salmon and would like to see political action to help preserve this threatened species. “If you must farm salmon, then at least reduce the local impact by using closed pens removed from the marine open environment,” Sardo adds.

The statement quotes John Volpe, PhD, director of the school of environment at university of Victoria, British Columbia, as saying: “The independent scientific community speaks with a single voice; open net pen salmon farms are not only a net loss of marine resources and human food but threaten our collective marine environment with potentially irreversible damage.”

The welcome comes from Wildfish.ie, a website created to support the boycott of farmed salmon. Support derives from a number of groups, including An Taisce, Coastwatch, Friends of the Earth, Friends of the Irish Environment, Salmon Watch Ireland, Save Galway Bay, Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages, No Salmon Farms At Sea, Salmon Farming Kills, Aran Against Salmon Farms, Save Bantry Bay and Federation of Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers.

Further details on Wildfish website.

Unseasonable weather
The final of the winter league was in full swing on my arrival at Annamoe Trout Fishery in Co Wicklow, last weekend. No need for thermals on this day as conditions were fantastic, not the freeze-up normally associated with December.

Two hours into the competition and the 15 finalists were engrossed in their quest to capture the big one. Trout were coming fast and furious mainly to the multi-coloured boobies and blobs.

I caught up with 14-year-old Cory Ryan from Dublin who had four rainbows on his score card including a beauty of 49cm. This young angler is a star-in-the-making, displaying brilliant casting skills and fishing technique. His granddad Mike said: “He absolutely loves the fly fishing.” (See pic above.)

Rules on the day required anglers to move three pegs every 40 minutes and a catch of four fish maximum from each peg. The standard single barbless fly also applied.

At the final whistle, it was back to the fishing lodge for refreshments and prizegiving. Proprietor Brian Nally said it was the first time for all anglers to catch fish on finals day, 59 in total. He thanked Southside Angling for sponsoring the event and the many anglers who participated in the heats.

Results: 1, M Gillman, 8 fish, 345pts; 2, P McDonnell, 5f, 230pts; 3, N Shiels, 7f, 215pts; 4, C Ryan, 6f, 215pts; 5, R Fowler, 4f, 175pts.

Angling festival
The 26th Irish Winter Shore Angling Festival will take place on various Wexford beaches (weather permitting) from January 23rd to 25th. Headquarters is, once again, Seán Óg's Complex in Kilmuckridge and accommodation may be reserved here through the organisers.

Entry fee of €150 includes presentation dinner and zone and pool prizes. Overall winner will receive a cheque for €500 and Penn league points will also apply. Further details from warrendoyle@iol.ie or 086-806 9961.

angling@irishtimes.com