Celtic Sea Trout Project launched by Minister Conor Lenihan

€2million Celtic Sea Trout Project launched by Minister Conor Lenihan

Press Release 23/09/2010

The Celtic Sea Trout Project had its official launch at Coillte’s Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow last evening. This groundbreaking €2million project, mainly funded by the Wales – Ireland Interreg programme, will see Inland Fisheries Ireland work closely with anglers, fishery owners, netsmen, inshore and offshore marine fishermen and in cooperation across the 6 political and administrative regions with separate jurisdictions over the Irish Sea with the ultimate goal of ensuring sustainable sea trout fisheries.

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Sea trout support and sustain important and valuable fisheries throughout the study area and are a unique and potentially valuable indicator of environmental change and the quality of the aquatic environment. The overall project aims are to further the proactive conservation of trout biodiversity and to enable better management of sea trout stocks in their freshwater and marine environments so as to strengthen their social, economic and cultural benefits to local and regional communities. It also aims to promote cooperative working, the effective dissemination of knowledge and a wider general awareness of management needs and options for the conservation and sustainable management of sea trout stocks.

Launching the project Minister Conor Lenihan commented that “the Celtic Sea Trout project represents a major step forward to achieving our ultimate goal of maintaining healthy fish stocks that support biodiversity, sustainable fisheries and provide optimum benefits for the general community as a whole”.

For further information on the Celtic Sea Trout Project please log on to www.celticseatrout.com.

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For media enquiries:

Suzanne Campion,
Head of Business Development,
Inland Fisheries Ireland,
Swords Business Campus,
Swords, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01 8842600, Mobile: 087 2690183
Email: scampion@srfb.ie
Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie

Notes to Editor

Ireland is well endowed with sea trout fisheries. On the east and south coast large systems like the Boyne, Slaney, Ilen, Argideen and Currane are well known high quality sea trout fisheries. But other angling treasures are coming to light through the project – systems like the Castletown in Dundalk and the Colligan in Waterford are potentially excellent fisheries which we have to understand better and conserve. Individually, these sea trout fisheries on our smaller rivers have the potential to generate small but important social and economic benefits within local communities. Collectively, their importance and value at a regional and national level may be far greater than generally realised.