The Government's advisory group on salmon management has failed to reach agreement on wild salmon catches for this year.
John O'Brien, a Donegal fisherman who was appointed to the National Salmon Commission (NSC) last year, expressed anger yesterday at the breakdown in discussions and accused former minister of state Pat "The Cope" Gallagher of nominating him to a "leaking vessel".
Mr O'Brien said anglers' representatives on the commission were determined to eradicate the drift-net salmon fishermen without even supporting a compensation scheme.
"Commercial fishermen were told in good faith that there was going to be a voluntary buy-out, but it looks now as if a ban is going to come into place before any decommissioning scheme.
"The scientists who are advising the NSC are being swayed by anglers, and these anglers are accountants and other professionals who don't have to catch fish to feed their children."
Mr Gallagher, who made it clear during his time at the Department of the Marine that anglers should subsidise any transfer of a salmon resource which benefited them, said that he had appointed Mr O'Brien to the NSC in good faith to represent his sector.
Green Party marine spokesman Eamon Ryan has called on new Minister of State John Browne to make an "immediate statement" following the failure to reach agreement. He also accused the NSC of failing to heed the advice of its standing scientific committee.
"The scientists recommended an end to drift-netting at sea and even angling catches on several rivers because salmon numbers are now at crisis levels.
"Rather than supporting their report, the NSC has simply forwarded a report from the National Fishery Management Executive to the Minister which fudges the issue and puts any decision on drift-netting back until after the next election."
However, NSC chairman Joey Murrin said that Mr Ryan's version of events at the meeting this week was incorrect. Neither the anglers nor the commercial sector would buy into the scientific committee's advice seeking to reduce the commercial catch from 139,900 to 90,000 fish and the anglers' catch from 25,000 to 15,000 fish.
