The politics of salmon. . .

Research into the wild Atlantic salmon has soaked up millions of euro in State funds over the past six to seven decades. As Minister for MarineNoel Dempsey has acknowledged, the issue is complex - with factors ranging from climate change to pollution to seal predation affecting survival of the species at sea.

One major breakthrough was publication of a task force report for a Fine Gael-Labour-Democratic Left coalition in 1996, which resulted in establishment of the National Salmon Commission. The consensus approach adopted by the NSC's first chairman, Prof Noel Wilkins of NUI, Galway, proved highly successful, and its legacy includes a radical improvement in the recording of salmon catches, according to Dr Ken Whelan of the Marine Institute.

That task force report acknowledged the rights of both coastal fishermen and anglers to a share of the salmon, but the Labour Party has since done a volte face on the issue. Niall Greene, a Labour member and part of a consortium which owns a private fishery on the west coast, spearheads the Stop Salmon Driftnetting Now (StopNow) campaign, which was established by angling groups and private fishery owners at a meeting in Athlone, Co Westmeath in 2004.

Backing StopNow is Iceland businessman Orri Vigfusson, who has spent more than a decade campaigning to buy out commercial licences here, having secured such agreements in the Faroe islands and Greenland. According to the campaign, Ireland is an "international pariah" as the only EU state to allow drift nettings - though drift netting continues on a small scale in Sweden, and is the subject of a phased £3.4 million (€4.9 million) buy-out in the north-east of England. The British government has contributed £1.25 million, the balance being paid by private interests. Although the buy-out began 10 years ago, the jury is still out in relation to any improvement in stock levels.