Inland fisheries can employ 7,000, says plan

Ireland's inland fisheries could be contributing £150 million to GNP and employing 7,000 people, according to a five-year plan which has been presented to the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods.

However, this would involve increasing annual expenditure to £25 million, the Central Fisheries Board states - with additional funding coming from private fishery owners, anglers and tourists, in addition to the Exchequer and the EU.

The plan proposes establishing a mobile emergency response unit to deal with major fish kills, as part of a package of measures designed to protect and develop the inland resource.

Environmental management and increased surveillance are key elements of the strategy, which was published by the Central Fisheries Board in Dublin yesterday.

It is the first major programme for inland fisheries in the last decade, and comes just two weeks after a Comptroller and Auditor General's report criticised State bodies for poor performance in inland fishery management.

The plan envisages a co-ordinated "catchment management" approach embracing local authorities, commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism, industrial, farming, community and angling interests. It proposes strengthening the central and regional fisheries boards' involvement in planning and the issuing of discharge licences, and extending the central board's geographical information system to improve data accuracy on catchments.

It proposes establishing a confidential free phone service for reporting illegal fishing, and purchasing an additional large patrol vessel for estuary, bay and coastal day patrolling. The board's current protection responsibilities extend to the 12-mile limit, involving 130 permanent and 80 seasonal staff. Beyond the 12-mile limit, surveillance is undertaken by the Naval Service and Air Corps.

Although the report does not tackle the controversial issue of private ownership of fisheries, it does express support for the "user pays" principle, and says that private fishery owners and angling clubs should make a contribution towards the cost of protecting fisheries under their control. Currently protection costs the State £10 million whereas only £200,000 is paid annually by fishery owners in water rates.

"Ownership and access are two major issues in inland fisheries management," Mr John O'Connor, chief executive of the Central Fisheries Board, said. "A special sub-committee which we have set up intends to look at ownership in the context of best management. In other words, we are not necessarily saying that the State has to buy a fishery automatically if it comes up for sale; but optimum management is the priority."

The plan proposes that fisheries boards should review legislation and make recommendations to the Minister for the Marine on collection of fines and introduction of "on-the-spot" penalties. It also recommends working closely with Teagasc and the farming organisations to agree guidelines and support efforts to reduce use of phosphates by farmers.

The plan says that proposals for voluntary buy-out or curtailment of commercial salmon fisheries should be examined by regional boards. The boards would "endeavour to make provision for alternative enterprises for licensed commercial fishermen", it says. However, it also expresses support for the new Salmon Management Task Force initiative which was implemented during the last commercial season by the former administration, and which emphasised the rights of coastal communities in relation to the salmon stock.

The plan proposes improving internal efficiency and streamlining responsibilities - given that there is an acknowledged level of duplication within the fishery board structure. This would involve more training, review of staff schemes and improvement of the staff age profile.