ANGLING NOTES:'KILMORE Quay is a fantastic product to sell," the Minister of State for Fisheries, Sean Connick, told guests at the launch of a new publication to promote the area as a sea angling centre of excellence.
Speaking in the Stella Maris Centre, the Minister said Kilmore Quay in south Wexford provides many opportunities for charter and small-boat angling and is within the top five sea-angling centres in Ireland.
The harbour contains a 55-berth marina and boasts eight charter boats capable of facilitating up to 80 anglers. More than 40 species have been recorded within the catchment area including two Irish records of pouting and red mullet.
Fáilte Ireland and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), in selecting Kilmore Quay, took into account a suite of services anglers can expect from their holiday in Ireland. Under the heading “Anglers Welcome”, the charter includes accommodation, pubs and dining, visitor attractions and retail premises.
In 2009, 128,000 anglers visited Ireland and generated €105m to the local and national economy. Of this, €54m was accrued in sea angling. The guide is free through tourism offices and IFI at fishinginireland.info.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday last, the Minister visited Eircod, a state-of-the-art cod breeding project at NUI Galway Carna Laboratory in Connemara.
The project is aimed at establishing a cod broodstock programme for the Irish environment to underpin the native fish-farming industry.
“Such an industry will contribute positively to Ireland’s aquaculture sector by offering species diversification and high value added products. Benefits from supporting the development of an emerging cod-farming industry in Ireland are many,” the Minister says.
The first three years of Eircod saw the transfer from Galway’s Carna Lab to the Trosc Teo fish farm in Connemara of specially bred juvenile cod, reared from eggs collected from the Celtic Sea off the south coast of Ireland.
By 2011 the project will have 50 family groups of adult cod at sea for four years, many of which will be reaching sexual maturity. It will then be possible to breed these fish selectively to give a better performing stock and apply them to fish farming.
Eircod is funded by the Marine Institute and Marine Research Sub-programme of the National Development Plan and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. Contact John.joyce@marine.ie for further information.
- A group ofanglers from The Irish Times enjoyed a day's fishing out from Ballyhack, Co Wexford, last Saturday week. Fishing off Hook Head the group caught 10 species, of which codling and mackerel dominated. Charlie Gannon caught the longest cod of 58cm.
Nearby Fort Conan Hotel in Duncannon provided ideal accommodation for anglers. Contact 051-389163.
- The consistent rainfor the last three weeks has stopped and so too has the superb salmon fishing, according to Lough Inagh fisheries manager, Colin Folan.
In total, 40 salmon were recorded, which is about 50 per cent of our annual catch. There are still fresh fish entering daily, but the run has petered out and the bulk of fish are now in Inagh, he said.
- Inland Fisheries Irelandseeks input from stakeholders towards development of its five-year rolling corporate plan. Further details at fisheriesireland.ie.
- A digital editionof Irish Angler Magazineis now live at exacteditions.com. Also, the iPhone app, Tying Irish Dry Flies with Peter Dunne, is available in the Apple App Store at €3.99.
- The World VarsitiesTrout Fly Fishing Competition will be held on Lough Corrib on August 28th/29th. Details available at lit.ie/worldvarsitiesfishing.
angling@irishtimes.ie