Angling Notes: Following on from the recent rally in Killarney that coincided with the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, further pressure has been placed on the Government to urgently resolve the salmon drift-net issue.
In correspondence to Angling Notes, the Wild Salmon Support Group (WSSG), a highly regarded body chaired by Margaret Downes, has issued a comprehensive response to the Joint Oireachtas Committee's Fourth Report on salmon, drift-netting, draft-netting and angling.
Government policy to date, it said, can only be described as a costly failure with regard to the elaborate quota/tagging scheme introduced in 2002. Quotas for commercial fishing were greatly in excess of scientific advice and even in excess of what the netsmen could catch. "There was no element whatsoever of conservation," it added.
Effectively operated, however, the scheme could still regenerate this threatened natural resource. A prerequisite would be the establishment of quotas for individual licencees proportionate to their average catch on tags returned over, say, the past two years.
Where fishing is restricted to regenerate stocks, the question of compensation should not arise, the support group contends, because voluntary schemes are exposed to the risk that non-participants could "mop up what participants surrender". Instead, if quotas were allotted to individuals, they could be offered a financial incentive for relinquishing their allocation.
If the WSSG suggestions were adopted, costs to secure an end to drift-netting would be: for quotas of 50,000 fish surrendered, the gross annual income loss to netsmen, taking an average of €25 per fish, would be €1,250,000. Ten years purchase could be covered by borrowing an annual exchequer interest charge of €500,000. This could be met, in part, through anglers' licence fees and fishery owners' rates.
While agreeing with the report's recognition of the negative impact Irish drift-netting has on catching salmon destined for EU countries, WSSG points out these grievances would be fully met by the complete abolition of drift-netting.
However, because of restrictions, as per scientific advice - namely, a commercial catch of 97,000 for 2005 - this would, at least, lessen the interception of non-Irish fish. Confining net-fishing closer to our own shore would also be helpful, it added.
Finally, the support group emphasises the urgency of effective action to save this unique and valuable natural resource from extinction. "This is no time for procrastination," the group concluded.
Meanwhile, the Green Party has called for an independent negotiating team to halt salmon drift-net fishing. "The Minister needs to set up a team that could engage in talks with those willing to take up a buy-out and those bodies interested in sourcing funding for it."
• There is a reason why the majority of salmon inhabit the River Nore, and why the thwaite shad, a meagre and tasteless fish, opt for the River Barrow, according to the latest edition of Scéalta an mBearu (Barrow News). In the seventh century, according to legend, St Evin controlled the Nore fisheries while St Moling (St Mullins) held rights over the Barrow. However, disagreement prevailed between the two as to what proportion of salmon should proceed up each river.
To resolve the matter the saints arranged a meeting of the two rivers to address the assembled fish. Unfortunately, St Moling fell asleep near the meeting place and missed out on addressing the gathered shoals. Thereafter, it is said, the salmon tribe enter the Nore while the shad remain faithful to St Moling and prefer the Barrow.
That said, thwaite shad are a declining species and listed in annex two of the Habitats Directive. They are now rare throughout Europe and only spawn in a few rivers flowing into the Severn Estuary in Britain because of poor water quality and barriers, such as weirs.
In Ireland, however, a large spawning population congregate in the lower River Barrow in May each year, attributed, in no small way, to the patron saint of the area that gives his name to the village of St Mullins, according to John Lucey of EPA.
• Two anglers were ordered to pay more than £300 (€443) in fines and costs at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court last week for fishing without rod licences. A day-licence for coarse fish and non-migratory trout costs just £3 (€4.43). Both men were caught fishing at Llwyn-On Reservoir in April 2005.
An Environment Agency Wales spokesperson said: "Income from rod licence sales is reinvested in improvements to fisheries."
• Of the three zones selected, Fermoyle, Deelis and Goulane, the latter produced the vast majority of fish at last weekend's All-Ireland Master-Angler Shore Championships in Tralee, Co Kerry. More than 100 top anglers representing their respective clubs braved extreme weather conditions to return a total of 258 fish across seven species that included 24 bass.
Results: 1, N Kinnear (John Dory); 2, J Maddock (Kilmore); 3, T McAdam (Dublin Telesport); 4, D Roe (South Shore); 5, R Doherty (Stella Maris).
Around the fisheries
Ballyhass Lakes, Co Cork: Saturday, fly-tying class with Philip Maher. Entry fee €50. A festive sale offers 20 per cent off all clothing, rods, reels, fly lines and fly boxes (087-2248097).
Corkagh Park, Dublin: A busy four days at the fishery. On Tuesday, 36 juniors competed in the Dublin Angling Initiative-sponsored event. Here, the Pearse Street Recreation Centre team took top honours. The Lord Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Therese Ridge, opened Wednesday's event at which 60 juniors competed and funded by City of Dublin VEC.
The winning team hailed from Tallaght Youth Services. Thursday and Friday hosted 36 juniors and was sponsored by the fishery (01-4592622).