Change of nets won’t save salmon

A SIGNIFICANT milestone in the protection of the dwindling stocks of Atlantic salmon occurred in November 2006 when the then Marine Minister Noel Dempsey banned drift-netting for salmon off the Irish coast.

Despite sustained national and international scientific and conservation advice, Ireland was the last Atlantic rim country to take this vital measure to protect salmon.

Sadly, it now seems this long-awaited and belated measure is to be set at nought.

We believe Communictions, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Eamon Ryan has, by letter of December 21, 2007, sought proposals from regional fishery board managers for (a) Extension of the draft netting — estuarine netting — season.

(b) Increase in the number of draft net licences and (c) Allocation to the draft nets of the quota of fish traditionally taken by the drift nets.

This will result in no less than 94% of all exploitable salmon being captured by the draft nets, ie, the same proportion as was taken by the combined draft and drift nets prior to the ban on drift nets. If implemented, this policy will nullify any benefit to stocks from the ban on drift nets and will have a catastrophic impact on remaining stocks. Basically, the capture of salmon by drift nets off the coast is now being moved to the estuaries to satisfy persistent lobbying by the commercial salmon sector, even though it has recently been the beneficiary of a €30 million compensation package for the ban on drift nets.

Anglers have contributed to this fund through a doubling of their licence fee.

Anglers may have been naive to think the campaign to save the Atlantic salmon had been won when Dempsey banned drift netting, but they are outraged that those charged with rehabilitating and protecting stocks are cooperating in the campaign to reinstate the commercial exploitation of dwindling stocks.

We urge Minister Ryan, in the interests of conservation of the remaining stocks of salmon, to revert to the 2007 policy of ensuring that the drift net quota of salmon is not exploited by the commercial sector, but is allowed to return to its native rivers and thereby ensure survival of the species.

PE Cronin

Chairman

Cork Salmon Anglers Association

7 Fr Matthew Quay

Cork