THE GOVERNMENT has approved approximately €22 million in compensation payments for more than 900 netters of wild Atlantic salmon.
Payments ranging from just under €10,000 to more than €100,000 have been sanctioned to date by Minister for Natural Resources Eamon Ryan, in exchange for surrendering driftnet licences.
However, about €3 million has yet to be drawn down under the Government's €25 million programme, introduced last year after a ban on driftnetting for salmon was implemented under pressure from the EU.
A total of 75 successful applicants have still not concluded payment details, as they have appealed amounts earmarked for them.
An additional €5 million has been approved for coastal community schemes in areas affected by the State driftnet ban.
Mr Ryan, who is due to announce details of the payouts today, has said he was pleased to see that the majority of applicants were satisfied with the amount offered, which would help to ensure a "successful and speedy conclusion" to the scheme.
Some applicants have opted to have payments made over three years.
Voluntary compensation is available for licence-holders using other forms of netting for salmon in inshore areas. Some 16 fishery districts and 15 Leader companies will benefit from a related €5 million fund, which is being distributed by Mr Ryan in conjunction with Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív.
Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, the Irish Islands Federation, will be responsible for this spend in island communities, where there would be a greater dependency on commercial salmon fishing. The community allocation will focus on projects aimed at retraining those involved in the sector.
Late last summer, the Government confirmed that 1,269 applications had been received among 1,553 eligible licence-holders, while 40 applications had at that stage been refused. However, a number of these approvals for both drift and draft net licence-holders were not subsequently responded to.
A geographical breakdown showed that Donegal had the highest number of applicants; but a small number of licence-holders, primarily located in the northwest and the Cork and Waterford areas, had said they would not apply.
A number of driftnetters are also aggrieved that the tax rate agreed for the new whitefish decommissioning scheme is more favourable than that imposed on the salmon compensation payments.
In a related development, Mr Ryan's department has agreed to examine the possibility of deploying officers with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to monitor and control inland fisheries, due to reports of widespread poaching on rivers last year.