Salmon and Sea Trout Licences for 2022: On Sale Now

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Salmon and Sea Trout Licences for the 2022 season are now on sale through the Inland Fisheries Ireland online shop and through distributors that have an online facility. Hard copy licences will be available from distributors in the coming weeks. 

The prices for Salmon and Sea Trout Angling/Rod Licences in Ireland have been confirmed for 2022 and are as follows:

Angling/Rod Licence Type

Price for 2022

Description

A: Annual Licence

€100

This is an annual licence for the 2022 season and entitles you to fish for salmon and sea trout in all Fishery Districts

B: District Licence

€64

The District Licence allows you to fish for salmon and sea trout in one fishery district only, for the 2022 season.

P: Juvenile Licence

€10

The juvenile, all-districts licence, is for anglers up to and including 17 years of age. This licence entitles you to fish for salmon and sea trout in all Fishery Districts (for the 2022 season)

R: 21 Day Licence

€50

This is an all-districts licence which entitles you to fish for salmon and sea trout on 21 consecutive days in 2022 season (in all Fishery Districts).

S: 1 Day Licence

€36

This is a single day, all-districts licence and entitles you to fish for salmon and sea trout (in all Fishery Districts).

W: Foyle Area Extension Licence

€84

The ‘Foyle Area Extension’ Licence entitles you to fish for salmon and sea trout in the Republic of Ireland in all fishery districts.  However, to acquire a Foyle Area licence Extension from Inland Fisheries Ireland, an Angler must have acquired a valid ‘Adult Game Season’ licence or ‘Adult Game Endorsement’ licence from the Loughs Agency.

X: Special Local Licence

€26

This is a special local licence that is required to fish for sea trout in the Erne Estuary

Prices for angling/rod licences in Ireland are approved by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on foot of a recommendation by the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland. These are the prices that will be applied by Inland Fisheries Ireland for all angling/rod licences purchased for the 2022 season.

50% of licence fees go directly into the Habitat and Conservation Fund to support vital conservation projects around the country. Since 2016, more than €5 million in grants have been awarded to over 250 projects throughout Ireland under funds administered by Inland Fisheries Ireland. 

Angling/Rod licence prices haven’t changed since 2012. So, while the prices for the Annual Licence (€100) and Juvenile Licence (€10) are staying exactly the same to encourage angling throughout Ireland by anglers of all ages, the other licence types are increasing in price to bring them back to 2008 levels.

For 2022 therefore, the District Licence will now cost €64 (an increase of €8); the 21-Day Licence will cost €50 (an increase of €10); the 1-Day Licence will cost €36 (an increase of €16), the Foyle Area Extension Licence will cost €84 (an increase of €4) and finally, the Special Local Licence will cost €26 (an increase of €2).

Any additional revenue generated by the price increases will help fund salmon and sea trout habitat improvement, fisheries conservation and protection activities here in Ireland. If more anglers decided to fish on a broader number of rivers (through the purchase of an Annual Licence), this could, bring more socio-economic benefits to our rural and coastal communities and encourage more sustainable angling and, lessen the pressure on individual river districts.

To help answer any questions about licences, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions below:

Please note: prices for Commercial Licences and Dealer Licences for 2022 will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

For the 2022 season, not all licence prices are going up.

Licence prices are reviewed every year but have not changed since the 2012 season. 

The Annual Licence (€100) and the Juvenile Licence (€10) remain at the same price as they have been since 2012. These licence categories may be used in any fisheries district in Ireland, thereby supporting economic activity throughout the country.


Prices for the other five licence types are going up for 2022, to bring them back to 2008 levels.

The 2022 season prices for all licences will be:

Annual Licence: €100 (no increase on 2021 price)

Juvenile Licence: €10 (no increase on 2021 price)

District Licence: €64 (back to 2008 price/ an increase of €8 compared with 2021 price)

21-Day Licence: €50 (back to 2008 price / an increase of €10 compared with 2021 price)

1-Day Licence: €36 (back to 2008 price/ an increase of €16 compared with 2021 price)

Foyle Area Extension Licence: €84 (back to 2008 price/ an increase of €4 compared with 2021 price)

Special Local Licence: €26 (back to 2008 price/ an increase of €2 compared with 2021 price)

Anglers are encouraged to purchase the licence that is most appropriate for their needs. Please refer to  question 8 for some examples.

The biggest increase in price is for the 1-Day Licence (going up by €16, up to €36). If an angler is planning to fish for more than one day in a season, we would recommend buying either a 21-Day Licence or a District Licence (depending on their likely requirements). This would be better value for money than buying two or more 1-Day Licences.

Wild salmon are extremely precious and populations are under threat. Therefore, any additional revenue generated from these price increases will go into the Habitat and Conservation Fund and will also support Inland Fisheries Ireland’s work around salmon conservation, sustainability and protection across the country.

To find out more about the Habitat and Conservation Fund, please visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/services/funding

In addition to a licence, please note that a fishing permit or club membership may also be required at some locations.

Every year, Inland Fisheries Ireland reviews the pricing structure for licences, to take various socio-economic factors into account. These include the Consumer Price Index* and general economic environment.

Once licence prices are approved by the Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland, its recommendations are subject to approval by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

*The Consumer Price Index is the official indicator of inflation for Ireland and is managed by the Central Statistics Office.

This varies from year-to-year and from district-to-district, depending on the applications we receive for funding requests for conservation projects.

All monies going into the Habitat and Conservation Fund is pooled centrally and allocated to approved conservation projects across the country.

Every year, Inland Fisheries Ireland opens a funding call for conservation projects under the Salmon and Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation and Protection Fund. This fund is used to support sustainable fisheries projects and is open for applications from licence holders from every district (including anglers, angling clubs and federations).

To find out which conservation projects have been approved in recent years for your district or if you’re interested in making an application for funding in the future, please visit www.fisheriesireland.ie/services/funding

‘Catch & Release’ angling is becoming more popular in Ireland. For the first time since records began in 2001, our Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report from 2020 shows that the number of salmon caught and released by anglers (51% of salmon caught) now outstrips the number of salmon that are kept (49% of salmon caught).

However, introducing a ‘Catch & Release’ licence would require a change in primary legislation.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications organise public consultations around the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Scheme Tagging Regulations annually. 

If you’d like to make a submission, keep an eye on their website at: https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-the-environment-climate-and-communications/ to find out when their next public consultation opens.

As highlighted in our Corporate Plan for 2021 to 2025, conservation is at the core of what we do and quotas have an important role to play.

Quotas for how many fish an angler can catch and keep (harvested) are set by Fisheries Managers every year, on the basis of scientific advice.

These quotas reflect the ‘exploitable surplus’ in any river, as follows:

  1. In cases where the exploitable surplus cannot sustain angling, that particular fishery is closed for the season.
  1. Where it can sustain angling, but not exploitation (harvesting the fish for consumption), the river is opened on a ‘catch and release only’ basis where the fish is returned safely to the same waterbody.
  1. Where there is a modest harvestable surplus with a risk of over exploitation, a brown gill tag system is introduced where it is considered necessary in the interests of conserving stocks to closely monitor the angling quotas to ensure that river based quotas are not exceeded.  Where these restrictions apply you must be in possession of a brown tag specific to that river to harvest salmon, to be used in conjunction with a blue tag.  Brown tags can be obtained by contacting your local Inland Fisheries Ireland Office.  Similar to blue tags, brown tags issued contain a unique serial number specific to that licence holder and are not transferable between licence holders.   
  1. And finally, where there is an adequate exploitable surplus, the river is opened with the standard 10 tag allocation issued in lots of 3 or 4.

Overall, it is encouraging from a conservation point of view to see that catch and release angling is becoming more popular in Ireland.

For the first time since records began in 2001, our Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report from 2020 shows that the number of salmon caught and released by anglers (51% of salmon caught) now outstrips the number of salmon that are kept (49% of salmon caught).

We believe that these licences represent good value for money, especially for those that are able to use them on a regular basis during the season.

They allow the holder, with the permission of the fishery owner, the right to fish for the season or period of validity.

A District Licence or an Annual Licence, for example, can be valid for around 40 weeks in some districts. That’s the equivalent of between €1.50 and €2.50 per week, depending on the licence type.

We can’t forget that wild salmon are extremely precious. If all licence prices were made cheaper and revenue fell, that could result in less funding going into protection and conservation of our wild salmon populations.

To make salmon fishing more accessible, Inland Fisheries Ireland also runs an annual Sponsorship Programme to help clubs and federations host events that promote angling.

Unfortunately, our salmon and sea trout populations are under ever-increasing threat from a variety of sources - their habitats are under pressure as never before.

Therefore, to help with conservation efforts, quotas for how many fish can be caught and kept (harvested) are set by Fisheries Managers every year, on the basis of scientific advice.

There are 17 different fishery districts throughout the country, some of which have rivers that are open for ‘catch and release only’ and others that are open for exploitation/harvest (as set by Fisheries Managers).

Instead of having 17 prices, the District Licence is the same price, countrywide, making the licensing system less complicated and easier to manage.

On a related note, Inland Fisheries Ireland examined the potential to expand the District Licence, creating a new ‘River Basin District’ Licence.

However, we concluded that introducing a ‘River Basin District’ licence would require a change in primary legislation.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications organise public consultations around the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Scheme Tagging Regulations annually. 

If you’d like to make a submission, please visit their website at https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-the-environment-climate-and-communications/ to find out when their next public consultation opens.

This will depend on how many days fishing you’re planning to do in a season and how many districts you’ll be travelling to.

And don’t forget that your local rod licence distributor is very well placed to advise you on which licence type represents the best value for money.

Only fishing 1 day this season

If you are planning to fish only one day this season buy a 1 day licence, it’s valid in all districts, cost €36

Doing all your fishing in a 21 day period

If you are planning to fish less than 22 days in a row then buy a 21 day licence, it’s valid in all districts, cost €50.

Fishing at different stages across the whole season, but just in one District

If you are planning to fish within one District over the season then buy a District Licence, cost €64

Fishing at different stages across the whole season, in two or more districts

If you are planning to fish in two or more districts all through the season then buy an Annual Licence, it’s valid in all districts, cost €100.

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