We need a widely shared agreement with an objective to restore and maintain salmon abundance, the chairman of Stop Salmon Drift Nets Now campaign, Niall Greene said at a recent conference on salmon stock restoration and rivers trusts in Bunclody, Co Wexford.
In a post-drift netting world, it is critical that abundance is the target if we are to overcome the effects of increased mortality at sea, Greene pointed out. He hoped the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) and the Salsea programme would offer greater insight into what is happening to salmon in the marine environment, while we must ensure our rivers are as productive of salmon smolts as possible.
On the question of illegal fishing, Greene said protection is essential for 2007 and beyond. Fishery owners and associations have called for voluntary water keepers to be appointed under Section 294 of the Fishery Act. In effect, the angling community is offering the State something akin to a reserve force. To date, "the response has been one of indifference," he said.
Responsibility for fishery management needs to be devolved to local stakeholders, including the commercial sector, Greene reckoned. He said the State should not be the dominant decision-maker at this level - instead, a new kind of partnership is needed between government and the private sector in the management of the salmon fishery.
Greene advocates the creation of a national inland fishery authority and the ending of the seven autonomous regional board structures as an essential component of any new regime. "We simply cannot afford the luxury of seven separate approaches to salmon management, each effectively unaccountable to anyone." A more devolved system of decision-making will put a major onus on stakeholders to devise local management structures capable of covering conservation, protection and commercial issues and to sustain commitment over a long period. The river trust concept provides a very good model in this regard, he said.
In conclusion, Greene said perhaps it was obvious that the Stop Now mission is complete and the organisation is now redundant. Along the way, however, they learnt at least one major negative lesson - insufficient attention was paid to campaigning for the regime that would follow the ending of drift netting.
"My own view is that Stop Now should metamorphose into an organisation concerned with research, education and advocacy of matters to do with salmon conservation," he said.
• Fish passage for salmon on the River Barrow has been greatly improved following construction of a fish pass facility at Ballyellen Weir, according to the latest edition of Barrow News. Changes in bed material and volume of water in low-flow conditions meant salmon could only pass during high-water levels.
In conjunction with land owners and Waterways Ireland, the southern fisheries board has completed a new rock pool pass downstream of the weir to ensure a minimum flow of water at all times. Work was completed last September at a cost of €20,000.
The newsletter also includes the first sighting of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in Waterford estuary. Originally from China and the west coast of Korea, the crab is easily identified with its dark brown body and dense hairy claws that resemble mittens, hence the name.
Their diet includes shrimp, macro invertebrates and salmon eggs and they can survive out of water for long periods, which enables them to ascend weirs, etc. The latest sample was found downstream of New Ross, Co Wexford.
• In between the gales, snow, rain and sleet, three anglers landed one salmon each of 4kg on the Drowes in the northern region last week. Two were taken on the fly and one on Flying "C" from the Blackwater and Mill Pool stretches, respectively.
• Weather conditions were far from ideal for the hardy anglers (juniors and seniors) that ventured out for opening day on the River Tolka at Broombridge in Dublin on St Patrick's Day. Tolka Anglers' secretary, Eamonn Lynch, ensured a good catch with the customary restocking prior to opening day.
Results. (Seniors): 1) D Barnes, 2kg; 2) T Kennedy, 0.8kg; 3) G Beatty, 0.75kg. (Juniors): 1) S Mulhall, 1.4kg; 2) D Hanlon, 0.9kg; 3) K O'Connor, 0.8kg.
• Dublin City SAC held its second Master Angler Shore competition at South Beach, Arklow last Saturday week. Catches included whiting, codling, flats and rockling. Stephen Regan took top honours with 13 fish and Jim Byrne caught the longest fish of 36cm.