Wild Irish Salmon – delicious but scarce!

June 1st, 2012

Delicious wild Irish Salmon will soon be available at fish counters around Ireland. Less than 17,000 wild salmon may be caught during this year from May 12th to August 12th making them a delicacy and a much sought after premium product. To ensure these delicious salmon will be around for future generations, a quota is placed on both commercially and rod caught salmon.

Salmon Conservation measures in place ensure that all wild commercially caught salmon have a green, white or orange tag attached before processing and only authorised dealers or commercial licensed salmon fishermen may sell them.

It should be noted that only commercially caught salmon may be sold. As part of the regulations all legally caught wild salmon however caught must have a tag attached, salmon with blue tags or no tag may not be sold.

Minister Fergus O Dowd, Minister for State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, encourages sustainable fishing and the conservation of our valuable natural wild salmon resource stating that ‘Wild Irish Salmon are organic, a premium product and part of our natural heritage, we all have a duty to ensure their survival. Buying or selling illegally caught salmon is an environmental crime and jeopardises Ireland potential to have a sustainable salmon fishery into the future and it also damages biodiversity.
A hotline is in place to report illegal fishing including the sale/purchase of illegally caught salmon. Please call 1890 34 74 24 if you have information that may help preserve or salmon stocks.

Farmed salmon are a different product and are widely available year round. If consumers have any doubts as to the origin of the salmon please ask the supplier and help conserve Ireland's wonderful wild salmon resource.

Ends

Media Enquiries

Suzanne Campion
Head of Business Development
Inland Fisheries Ireland
Anglesea Street,
Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Tel: 052 6180055 Fax: 052 6123971
Email: suzanne.campion@fisheriesireland.ie Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie

Notes to Editor

Inland Fisheries Ireland is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and was established under the Fisheries Act on 1st July 2010. Its principal function is the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. IFI will promote, support, facilitate and advise the Minister on, the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries, including sea angling and develop and advise the Minister on policy and national strategies relating to inland fisheries and sea angling.
The regulation in force is S.I. No. 705 of 2011, Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (No. 2) Regulations 2011 and came into law on January 1st, 2012.