Second Public Consultation on Proposed Salmon Conservation Measures for 2026

A second public consultation on the draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2026 is being held to provide stakeholders and members of the public with a further opportunity to comment on the draft Regulations before they are finalised. 

The second public consultation commenced on February 4, 2026, and will be open for 30 days, closing at 5:30pm on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

Details on the second public consultation can be found at the following link on the Gov.ie website: Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations and Conservation Measures 2026. 

This follows a first public consultation period, which closed on December 20, 2025.
 

The Public Consultation sets out the following:

1. Draft 'Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026’.
    
2. An information note, setting out the proposed changes for 2026 season with reasons for same.

These draft amendment regulations include the revised quotas and catch options associated with individual rivers for the 2026 season. 

The proposed new conservation measures for the 2026 season include the following:

1. Reduction in salmon angling bag limit from 10 fish to 7 fish per angler per season - restricted to the period June 1st – August 31st.
    
2. Rivers with an angling harvest option to open as follows:
   1. Angling ‘Catch & Release only’ from Jan 1st – May 31st, in the interest of conserving Spring Fish (i.e. 2 Sea Winter and Multi Sea Winter fish),
       
   2. Open for harvest from Jun 1st to Aug 31st, (subject to daily bag limit of 3 fish (and season bag limit of 7 fish) per person during this period – once the daily or season bag limit is reached, anglers must practice ‘Catch and Release only’),
       
   3. Angling ‘Catch and Release only’ from Sept 1st to the end of the season.
       
3. Catch & Release thresholds align with Scientific Advice – rivers must meet a minimum of 65% of the Conservation Limit or 17 fry average per 5 minutes of Catchment-Wide Electro-Fishing to qualify for ‘catch and release only’ angling
    
4. Commercial fishing season revised to commence from June 1st to July 31st in the interest of conserving Spring Fish.