Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics

Salmon catch statistics 2010The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme commenced for both commercial and recreational salmon fishing licence holders on 1st January 2001, having been provided for in the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1999 (No. 35 of 1999). This was followed by the introduction of Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for the commercial salmon fishing sector and bag limits for recreational anglers in 2002. The Report of the Standing Scientific Committee of the National Salmon Commission was presented to the Minister for the 2006 season outlining the scientific catch advice for the forthcoming season and the requirements to meet international obligations. Since 2007, following consultation with Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Standing Scientific Committee, the Minister sets the total allowable harvest on an annual basis for each of the rivers which exceed the Conservation Limit. From 2010 onwards the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme for both commercial and recreational salmon fishing licence holders is provided for in Section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act, 2010 (no. 10 of 2010)

The principal aims of the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme are to provide a means of collecting accurate nominal catch statistics and estimates of salmon and sea trout stock exploitation, to develop best management strategies and to ensure these species are exploited in a manner consistent with their long-term sustainability on a national, regional, fishery district and river basis.

Under the regulations all fishermen must affix a coded tag to each salmon (or sea trout over 40 cm) they catch and retain. A logbook entry must then be made giving the details of the fish caught. All logbooks and unused tags must be returned to the Regional Fisheries Boards within a period of 7 days after the last day of the relevant fishing season, or after the licence has been in force, as set out in the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme regulations (The relevant S.I. in place for the 2010 commercial and angling seasons was S.I. No. 557 of 2009 and SI No. 323 of 2010). 2010 saw the continuation of a system of brown gill tags to be used in association with blue gill tags for the tagging of wild salmon and sea trout in certain listed rivers which had a low surplus for harvesting.

The data contained in this report is taken from salmon licences and logbook data supplied by commercial and recreational fishermen. This data is entered by the Regional Fisheries Boards staff into databases and following this the validation, collation and analysis of the data is performed at the Central Fisheries Board and the final statistics report is produced.

For 2010, there was an annual bag limit of 10 fish per angler of salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm). Subject to the annual bag limits an angler could take: 1 salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day until May 11th, with a max of three fish in total for this period; 3 salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from 12th May until the end of August; 1 salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from the 1st of September to the end of the season on open rivers. After the daily bag limit had been taken, angers were permitted to fish catch and release, using single barbless hooks and there was a ban on the use of worms.

Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2010

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