Counties Mayo and Sligo are losing out because of a Government ban on shrimp and prawn angling, it is claimed. The ban was introduced this year in the North Western Regional Fisheries area and covers the river Moy.
Angling promoters say that visiting anglers are cancelling holidays in the region and are going south, where shrimp and prawn fishing is allowed. Mr Michael Swartz, an angling promoter in Ballina, said he had proof of the cancellations in letters from overseas visitors who had fished the Moy for the last few years. "They told me they are going to Co Kerry, and this is a big loss of revenue here," he said.