One salmon destined for a place called Castlemaine

IN his letter headlined ‘Let’s nurture the salmon – not destroy it’ (June 9), Edward Hallinan decries the proposed restoration of a way of life for a small group of traditional fishermen.

He also states that John O’Donoghue’s letter (May 29) was a vote-catching exercise. The logic of that notion is debunked by Mr Hallinan himself in his reference to the “few rapidly evaporating coastal votes in South Kerry”.

Mr Hallinan nonsensically conjures up a vista of a salmon – though destined for a river in Wales – visiting Castelmaine Harbour en route.

For the rest of this fishy story, the salmon in question will be referred to as “he”. His point of departure will have been somewhere, let’s say, off the coast of Greenland and having travelled thousands of miles, arrives off the north-west coast of Ireland.

He then continues down along the west coast turning a blind eye to many bays, harbours and river estuaries. He reaches the southern end of Inishvickillane and instead of taking the direct route to Wales, Mr Hallinan has him taking a sharp left turn. He now heads due east for about 20 miles before entering the gap – known locally as The Bar – between the points of Inch and Rossbeigh. He is now in – of all places – Castelemaine Harbour.

Having (a) rubbed scales with the mixed stock and (b) escaped from scores of seals, he scoots as fast as he can back out the gap and heads west for Valentia and the open sea. He is now on course again for Wales.

On his way up along the south-east coast, he is careful to steer well clear of the many bays and river estuaries. He knows – being intelligent like his famous forebear, An Breadán Feasa – that it wouldn’t be good for Mr Hallinan’s theory if he called in anywhere other than Castlemaine Harbour.

On reaching Rosslare he ponders two options:

1. Whether he would go north to check the situation in Sellafield, or

2. Head east for one of the depleted Welsh rivers that Mr Hallinan is so concerned about.

Knowing what he does about nuclear waste, he chooses option two. He is now tired and suffering from delayed shock as a result of an almighty rumpus he heard when travelling south past Iceland. For ecological reasons he hasn’t named the Welsh river he is now in.

He is very conscious of the fact he had been in Castlemaine harbour with all of the dangers to the survival of the salmon species which that entailed.

Mr Hallinan, in his concern (to be applauded) for the conservation of the North Atlantic salmon, overlooks the irony of the fact that commercial net fishing is allowed in the private fisheries of the rivers Laune and Caragh while vehemently advocating the cessation of both a means of livelihood and a way of life for a rapidly dwindling group of traditional fishermen.

The men employed to work the private fisheries have strong ties with the men who fish the bay. They too are following a traditional way of life and long may they and their descendants continue to do so. It behoves everybody, especially those whose livelihoods depend on it, to conserve and cherish the precious North Atlantic salmon.

James Teahan

Lissivigeen

Killarney

Co Kerry