82 Rivers open for salmon angling in 2016, Regulations and Bye-Laws for management of the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Fisheries in 2016 approved

Press release 24 December 2015

82 rivers open for salmon angling in 2016 Regulations and Bye-Laws for management of the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Fisheries in 2016 approved.

Joe McHugh T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon and sea trout fisheries in 2015. These will come into effect from Friday 1 January 2016.

Minister McHugh said Fifty rivers will be fully open and this will provide opportunities for all to share this important natural resource on a sustainable basis. A further 32 will be open for angling on a “catch & release” basis. ” In all, 82 rivers will open for angling activity in 2016.

Minister McHugh received management advice in relation to 146 genetically individual wild salmon stocks in Ireland from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), before making a final decision. This advice was also made available publicly as part of a public consultation process and was based on the scientific assessment of the current status of all stocks carried out by the independent Standing Scientific Committee on Salmon. The committee is comprised of scientists from IFI, an Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Marine Institute, the Loughs Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service(NPWS), the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI- Northern Ireland) other State bodies and third level institutions.

13 submissions were considered as part of the public consultation process which closed on 10 December. In all the Independent Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon (SSCE) assessed 146 rivers/estuaries/harbours and has advised that:-

50 rivers are open as a surplus of fish has been identified in these rivers;
32 rivers are classified as open for “catch and release” angling; and
64 rivers are closed as they have no surplus of fish available for harvest.

The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations for 2016 are in essence unchanged from the Regulations which were introduced for 2015.

END

Note for editors

Summary of main changes to the management of the wild salmon fishery in 2016

5 Rivers which were open in 2015 will be "catch & release" in 2016:

Fane (Dundalk Fishery District), Croanshagh (Kerry Fishery District), Duff (Ballyshannon Fishery District) and Crana & Tullaghobegley (Letterkenny Fishery District).

3 Rivers which were open for catch and release in 2015 will close in 2016:

Milltown (Kerry Fishery District), Skivileen (Limerick Fishery District) and Ray (Letterkenny Fishery District).

S.I. No. 581 of 2015 Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2015

This Statutory Instrument provides for the quotas of fish that can be harvested by commercial fishing engines and rod and line from those rivers identified in Schedule 2 of the Regulation and also provides for the use of brown tags in specified rivers identified in Schedule 4 of the Regulation.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Closed Rivers) Bye-law No. C.S. 320, 2015

This Bye-law prohibits the taking or attempting to take by rod and line salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in the rivers specified in the Bye-law. The Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Closed Rivers) Bye-law No. C.S. 318, 2014 is revoked.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Bag Limits) Bye-law No. 934, 2015

This Bye-law provides for an annual bag limit of 10 fish being either salmon or sea trout (over 40 cm) per angler and provides for a season bag limit of 3 fish in the period 1 January to 11 May, a daily bag limit of 3 fish from 12 May to 31 August and a daily bag limit of 1 fish from 1 September to the end of the season. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified numbers of fish have been caught in the specified periods. The Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Bag Limits) Bye-law No. 928, 2014 is revoked.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Catch and Release) Bye-law No. 935, 2015

This Bye-law provides for catch and release in respect of salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in rivers that meet at least 65% of their Conservation Limit as stated in the Bye-law. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for salmon and sea trout over 40 cm. The Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Catch and Release) Bye-law No. 929, 2014 is revoked.

Angling Byelaw 936, 2015

This Bye-law prohibits the use of any fish hooks, other than single barbless hooks, prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for all species of fish in the waters specified in the Bye-law, and revokes Angling Bye-law No. 930, 2014.

Conservation of Sea Trout Bye-Law No. 937, 2015

This Bye-law provides for a daily bag limit of 3 sea trout (less than 40cm in length) and provides for the use of single barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified number of sea trout have been caught.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Suir) Bye-law No. 938, 2015.

This Bye-Law provides for catch and release in angling for salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40cm) in the River Suir (including the waters of the Rivers Clodiagh, Lingaun and Blackwater) and also prohibits the use of worms, prawn, shrimp or any other crustacean, or artificial forms thereof, as bait and any fish hooks other than single barbless hooks during the period 17 March to 30 September 2016.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Shannon) (Catch and Release) Bye-law No. 939, 2015

Notwithstanding Article 3 of the Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Closed Rivers) Bye-Law No. C.S. 320, 2015 fixing the annual close season, this Bye-law permits a person, from 1 March to 30 September during the year 2016, to take by rod and line any salmon or sea trout from the waters of the Lower Shannon in the Limerick or No. 8 District from O’Brien’s Bridge, downstream on the downstream face of the bridge, to Thomond Bridge, in the city of Limerick, by catch and release. This Bye-law also prohibits the use of worms, as bait or any fish hooks other than single barbless hooks.