84 rivers open for Salmon Angling in 2019

Canney emphasises Conservation Imperative for International Year of the Salmon

Friday, 28th of December 2018: Seán Canney T.D., Minister with responsibility for the Inland Fisheries sector has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon and sea trout fisheries in 2019. These will come into effect from Tuesday 1 January 2019.

Minister Canney said, “In all, 84 rivers will open for angling activity in 2019 and this will provide opportunities for all to share this important natural resource on a sustainable basis. 42 of these rivers will be fully open with a further 42 for angling on a “catch & release” basis.”

Minister Canney received management advice in relation to over 140 genetically individual wild salmon stocks in Ireland from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in 2019. This advice was also made available as part of a statutory public consultation process during which over 120 written submissions from stakeholders were received. The management advice is based on the scientific assessment of the current status of all stocks carried out by the independent Standing Scientific Committee on Salmon. This committee comprises scientists from a range of organisations.

Management advice based on the Independent Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon (SSCS) assessment of rivers/estuaries/harbours is that:

42 rivers to be open as a surplus of fish has been identified in these rivers;
42 rivers to be classified as open for “catch and release” angling; and
62 rivers to be closed as they have no surplus of fish available for harvest.
Details of these rivers available at Salmon Regulations

Minister Canney said, “2019 is the International Year of the Salmon and it is vital, now more than ever that we protect our valuable fisheries resource as environmental change and human impacts are placing salmon and other species at risk. This is a global initiative which will bring people together to share knowledge, raise awareness and take action on how we can ensure the resilience of salmon in Ireland and in the entire Northern Hemisphere”. “Ireland places the conservation imperative at the heart of our salmon management and I am committed to leading our participation in IYS”, he added.

International Year of the Salmon is a joint world-wide initiative of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) alongside other partners across the globe, creating an international framework for collaborative outreach and research. It is hoped that IYS will raise awareness of what humans can do to ensure salmons and their habitats are conserved and restored against a backdrop of several environmental factors.

ENDS

For Media Information:

Press Office
Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment
E: Press.Office@DCCAE.gov.ie
T: 01 678 2441/ 2442/ 2418

Note for Editors:

About International Year of the Salmon
During International Year of the Salmon, Inland Fisheries Ireland will introduce a commemorative salmon licence which will include updated information for anglers on catch & release angling. Carcass tags will also be rebranded to read: ‘Choose Catch and Release.’ A number of other awareness and outreach initiatives will also be introduced in the new year, these will be publicised both on www.yearofthesalmon.org and Inland Fisheries Ireland’s dedicated webpage. www.fisheriesireland.ie/iys.
Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations S.I. 2018

These regulations provide for, the quotas of fish that can be harvested by commercial fishing engines and rod and line from those rivers identified in Schedule 2. The Regulations also provide for the use of brown tags in specified rivers which are identified in Schedule 4.

Inland Fisheries (Fixed Charge Notice) Regulations S.I. 2018

These regulations provide for a system of on-the-spot fines to be administered by Inland Fisheries Ireland as applies to fisheries legislation. The form of notice of an on-the-spot fine is set out in the Schedule to the Regulations

Angling Bye-law No. 965, 2018

This Bye-law prohibits the use of any fish hooks, other than single or double barbless hooks, and also prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for all species of fish in the waters specified in the Bye-law.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Bag Limits) Bye-law No. 966, 2018

Provides for an annual bag limit of 10 fish being either salmon or sea trout (over 40 cm) per angler and provides for a season bag limit of 3 fish in the period 1 January to 11 May, a daily bag limit of 3 fish from 12 May to 31 August and a daily bag limit of 1 fish from 1 September to the end of the season. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified numbers of fish have been caught in the specified periods.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Catch and Release) Bye-law No. 967, 2018

Provides for catch and release in respect of salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in rivers that are meeting at least 50% of their Conservation Limit as mentioned in the Bye-law. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for salmon and sea trout over 40 cm.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Suir) Bye-law No. 968, 2018

This Bye-Law provides for catch and release in angling for salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40cm) in the River Suir (including the waters of the Rivers Clodiagh, Lingaun and Blackwater) and also prohibits the use of worms, prawn, shrimp or any other crustacean, or artificial forms thereof, as bait and any fish hooks other than single or double barbless hooks during the period 17 March to 30 Sept, 2019.

Conservation of Sea Trout Bye-law No. 969, 2018

This Bye-law provides for a daily bag limit of 3 sea trout (less than 40 cm in length) and provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified number of sea trout have been caught.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Slaney) Bye-law No. 970, 2018

This Bye-Law provides for catch and release in angling for salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40cm) in the River Slaney only, during the period 1st April to 31st August. The bye-law also provides for the use of artificial fly only using single or double barbless hooks upstream of the Railway Bridge Enniscorthy and provides for the use of single barbless hooks and a ban on worms as bait downstream of the Railway Bridge Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford when angling for salmon or sea trout (any size).

Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Closed Rivers) Bye-law No. C.S. 327, 2018

Prohibits the taking or attempting to take by rod and line salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in the rivers specified in the Bye-law.