Conviction for threatening to kill or cause serious harm to a Fisheries Officer
Inland Fisheries Ireland is the state agency responsible for the protection, conservation and development of Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea angling resources, which includes the enforcement of important fisheries legislation.
At a sitting of Kilrush District Court on February 8th 2022, sitting in Ennis, Mr. John Linnane of Kilrush, Co. Clare was convicted under Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act for threatening to kill or cause serious harm to a Fisheries Officer. The incident occurred during an investigation by Inland Fisheries Ireland into illegal fishing for wild salmon on June 1st, 2020.
At Kilrush District Court, Judge Larkin imposed a two-month suspended sentence and one hundred hours of community service on Mr. Linnane, pending on the outcome of a probation report.
At an earlier court sitting in November 2021, Mr. John Linnane pleaded guilty to illegal fishing for wild salmon on the same date (June 1st 2020), on the Shannon Estuary in Co. Clare. Mr. Linnane is awaiting sentencing for this conviction.
Speaking after this week’s conviction, Mr. David McInerney, the River Basin District Director with Inland Fisheries Ireland for the Shannon said: “Threatening to kill or cause serious harm to an officer of the State is a very serious issue and Inland Fisheries Ireland would like to thank An Garda Síochána for their help in bringing this case before the courts. Fisheries officers are charged with the protection of valuable and often threatened fish stocks and this work is essential to ensure the protection of Ireland’s native fish species. We have to remember that the River Shannon is closed to salmon fishing because salmon stocks are significantly below levels that maintain a healthy, sustainable population.”
To report suspicions of illegal fishing, members of the public are encouraged to call Inland Fisheries Ireland’s new confidential hotline number on 0818 34 74 24, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Illegal fishing set
An illegally-set salmon net on the Shannon Estuary in Co. Clare. The net, which was seized by Inland Fisheries Ireland on June 1st 2020, was set to target wild Atlantic salmon, making their way up the estuary to their native river.
