Share the salmon harvest fairly

AS we enter the post drift-net era we must not rush to alter the point of slaughter, but rather exercise the precautionary approach.

Lingering unhappiness with the level of compensation being given to the former drift-net people could have been avoided if the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources had chosen to work with the North Atlantic Salmon Fund which had previous experience of negotiating fully acceptable compensation agreements on both sides of the Atlantic.

Either way we are now all subject to the EU habitats directive banning the netting of mixed stock salmon.

The division of what is termed the “harvestable surplus” between the anglers and the remaining draft-net operators will have to be approached very carefully if we are not to undo all this good work and fly in the face of the habitats directive.

Salmon anglers nationwide, as represented by the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers, will not countenance any increase in draft-net numbers or the creation of new netting stations.

Salmon numbers have been falling, but not even our well-regarded salmon scientists can accurately predict the trend. Will the ending of drift-netting be enough to restore salmon abundance in our rivers? Take the River Feale for example — the “harvestable surplus” there is projected at 4,600 salmon.

This is no more than an estimate as we do not know the numbers of fish currently on their way back to the Feale or what percentage of Feale salmon was formerly taken by the drift nets all along the coastline.

As this is the first season of the new regime, let us all err on the side of caution.

We say cut that “harvestable surplus” in half and divide the 2,300 salmon equally between the anglers and the draft-nets.

On these figures, both sectors are better off than last season and the real gain should be in the number of wild salmon spawning next winter.

That would be a real basis for future optimism and another degree of compensation for those who were forced to cease drift-netting.

Dan Joy

Secretary

Killocrim-Finuge Anglers

Listowel

Co Kerry