Following the cut in salmon fishing quotas announced last week, the Minister for Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, has called on anglers to comply with the new regulations by logging the fish they catch.
After a lengthy and sometimes acrimonious consultation process, earlier this week the minister announced a 7.4 per cent reduction on the 2001 allowable catch of wild Atlantic Salmon.
"It is absolutely essential that all anglers comply with tagging and logbook obligations," the minister said. He added that anglers had the same responsibility as commercial fishermen to co-operate with the new limits in the interest of conserving salmon stocks.
Wild salmon and sea trout regulations were introduced this year obliging anglers to complete a logbook by midnight on the day they catch fish.
A series of measures have already been agreed by the Garda, regional fisheries boards and the newly-appointed Director of Fisheries Protection to combat illegal fishing and poaching.
"Inspectors will be visiting hotels and restaurants and enforcing the law and I am confident they will have the backing of all fair-minded citizens who see poaching for what it is - theft and destruction from their neighbours of a valuable natural resource," Mr Fahy said.