Restoring way of life for men of the sea

YOUR editorial (May 26) on the reopening of the salmon fishery in Castlemaine harbour in Co Kerry offered a blinkered, sensational view of the factual situation.

Firstly, the headline ‘A disgraceful concession’ is surely a misnomer. What is concessionery about the restoration of a way of life for the fishermen concerned; a way of life for men of the sea with its time-worn traditions?

The by-law that banned draft net fishing in the harbour was enacted in 2008 against the advice of the South Western Regional Fisheries Board (SWRFB). The ban did not extend to draft net fishing in the privately-owned fisheries in the rivers Laune and Caragh – both of which flow into the harbour.

So effectively what the ban meant was to summon the traditional fishermen ashore and allow their small quota of salmon onward to be netted in the private fisheries. Could one convceive of a more ironic and unjust scenario?

The analogy drawn in the editorial between the killing of whales in the Sea of Japan and salmon fishing in Castlemaine Harbour is as “fishy” as the claim that the Atlantic Salmon is careering to extinction is sensationalist. The SWRFB is to be commended for its consistent and scientific approach to the nurturing and preservation of the salmon stocks in its area of jurisdiction as well as for its policy of fair play for the traditional fishermen of Castlemaine harbour.

James Teahan

Lissivigeen

Killarney

Co Kerry