Anglers stay away and tourism pays the price for Government inaction

THE worst salmon angling season in the history of the State has ended with the indiscriminate slaughter of our immense natural resource.

It is Armageddon for the noble salmon, with drift and draft netting acting as a ‘wall of death’ for salmon trying to ascend our rivers to spawn.

The EU Commission has issued a formal notice of complaint to the Irish Government regarding its failure to meet its obligations under the EU habitats directive as Irish drift nets are now intercepting up to 12% of salmon destined for British rivers. Scientific research has indicated that over 97% of micro-tagged smolts from the Liffey system and 67% from the south-east have ended up in drift nets when returning as adult salmon to spawn.