The Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers (FISSTA) has warned that a constitutional action will be taken if any of its 15,000 members is prosecuted under new fish-tagging and logbook regulations.
Speaking last night on the eve of the salmon-fishing season in Cork, the FISSTA president, Mr Richard Behal, said new regulations introduced by the Department of the Marine which sought to enforce the log-book requirement as well as the tagging of each salmon caught, had infuriated lovers of the sport.
Feelings were running so high, he added, "that we could be looking at another rod war".
During what became known as the rod war, thousands of Irish anglers rejected the Department's introduction of a trout licence and between 1988 and 1990 opposed every move to introduce it.
In the end, the Department withdrew the proposal and replaced it with a compromise aimed at furthering conservation of stocks.
FISSTA's legal advice on this occasion was that a constitutional action would win if a member was prosecuted under the log-book requirement.
Mr Behal said the Department appeared to be stumbling into a fresh controversy. Anglers didn't want another divisive and potentially damaging dispute, but if the log-book measure was imposed, they would fight it tooth and nail.
"This is a proposal which will force our members to enter the time of their arrival at a river, what they caught and when and if they moved on to a different river," he said. "Effectively, it amounts to big brother demanding to know what private individuals are doing with their time and where they are doing it."
Another bone of contention with anglers, Mr Behal said, was the tagging requirement under which non-commercial anglers would be required to tag each fish caught. It is proposed that each angler will have five tags when he commences fishing on a river.
But according to Mr Behal, outlets supplying the tags, such as fishing tackle shops, will make as many tags available as an angler demands.
"Greedy anglers, and there are not many of them, as well as the poachers will be able to abuse this system which is being imposed by the Department in an effort to determine where most salmon are being caught, the age and weight of the fish, etc," Mr Behal said.
"Taken with the log-book requirement, we feel these provisions are totally unworkable."
More than 100 anglers are expected to gather at the Carrigrohane bridge on the River Lee this morning to protest against the new measures. Further protests are planned for next Saturday at Fermoy, Co Cork, and Eyre Square in Galway.