Angling Noters/Derek Evans: All salmon anglers should know of the new catch restrictions imposed last Wednesday by the Minister of State for the Marine, John Browne.
Throughout September (the final month of the season) anglers will be allowed to keep only one salmon per day, down from the statutory bag limit of three fish per day which applied since June 1st.
The new restriction comes on foot of a recommendation from the National Salmon Commission, the advisory body to the Minister, brought about by a sharp fall in the run of salmon this summer.
An earlier letter from the Government (seen by this correspondent) reads: ". . . the Minister intends to introduce a ban on the killing of wild salmon by anglers from September 1st onwards . . . ", a proposal which caused shock-waves among salmon anglers.
The newly-formed Stop Salmon Drift Nets Now (SSDNN) national campaign described the above proposal as a classic example shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. The Marine Institute flagged two years ago that summer salmon levels would be below scientific estimates, it said.
The angling tourism industry was also aggrieved over a potential loss in business - most of which was pre-booked - if the complete ban went ahead.
There is a simple solution, according to SSDNN. "The game angling community is ready to partner with the Government in compensating drift-netters who stop salmon fishing. We urge the minister to accept this is the right way to tackle the problems relating to wild salmon."
The final deliberation announced last week is a good one and the Minister must be congratulated for reaching a compromise after taking all factors into account. However, the Government must still buy out all Irish driftnets now and anglers must play their part too.
The river Slaney has received a much-needed financial boost following the announcement by Slaney River Trust Ltd (SRT) of €221,000 funding under the EU regional development initiative which supports joint projects between the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Wales.
The funding is part of a wider package totalling €345,000 over three years, of which angling clubs, anglers and fishery owners on the Slaney contributed €44,000 and the Eastern and Central Fisheries Board a further €80,000.
In December 2002, SRT and the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board commissioned a report entitled A Recovery Plan for the River Slaney Salmon Fishery, from consultants Paul Johnston Associates. The report proposed a number of steps to improve salmon stocks which have been in steep decline for many years.
To finance the project, SRT took the lead in setting up an Ireland-Wales partnership entitled "Celtic Rivers Trust Partnership" (CRTP), an initiative which proved successful in its application for Interreg funding.
A detailed work programme has already been set out for the project, including habitat restoration, collection of scientific data on stocks, improvement of spawning areas and construction of a wildlife observation platform for disabled facilities.
A project officer is being recruited to manage the project. One of the primary tasks of the new position will be to ensure the expertise of the Irish partners is transferred to the Welsh partners and vice versa. This requirement is a fundamental element of the Interreg programme. For further information, contact SRT chairman Peter Wilson at 01-4909253 or secretary John Carroll at 01-6687014.
Salmon angling was marred last week with news of a serious fish kill which obliterated more than 600 adult salmon on the River Strule, near Cappagh, within the Foyle System.
High water temperatures and low flows at this time obviously worsened the incident. The Lough Agency and Environmental Heritage Service is carrying out a full investigation.
As a result of the fish-kill, angling has virtually ceased on the rivers Mourne, Strule, Derg, Finn and Owenkillew.
Fish of the week was cautht by Patsy Griffin from Galway - a magnificent 14.81lb specimen brown trout caught while fishing at the back of Rabbit Island on Lough Corrib. Even more remarkable was the fact the fish fell to a fly, a Claret Muddler, to be precise. Well done to Patsy.
The first west-coast blue shark of 2004 was caught last week by Tony Smyth from Dublin while fishing with charter skipper John Brittain out of Clifden, Co Galway. On a perfect day, west of Slyne Head, Smyth landed a good fish of about 80lb. Not to be outdone, James O'Mahony caught a second shark, considerably smaller at around 40lb. Both fish were tagged and released.