PD Senator seeks total ban on salmon drift-netting

Progressive Democrats Senator John Dardis has come out in favour of a total ban on drift-net salmon fishing along the Irish coast.

The practice is prohibited in most other countries on Europe's Atlantic coast as part of efforts to protect stocks of salmon in hundreds of rivers.

Irish anglers blame drift-netting for a huge drop in the salmon population in our rivers in recent years.

Mr Dardis has called for the practice to be banned outright in order to protect angling tourism in Ireland.

He said the money spent by anglers meant a salmon caught on a river was worth €400 to the Irish economy, while it was worth just €20 if caught in a drift net.