As several hundred coastal representatives travel to Dublin for today's protest over the wild salmon issue, joint Oireachtas marine committee chairman Noel O'Flynn (FF) has said a voluntary buyout of drift-net licences would be "preferable" to a ban.
Mr O'Flynn told The Irish Times yesterday he welcomed last week's publication of the Government's independent review group report, which recommended a compulsory buyout of drift-net licences for salmon.
However, Mr O'Flynn said he would be raising several issues, including his committee's own recommendation last year for a voluntary buyout, at today's joint Oireachtas committee session.
"I would prefer to see a voluntary system, and I am also concerned that a contribution to compensation is made by angling groups, inland fishery owners, organisations and angling tourism bodies," he said. "I would also like to query the recommended increase in angling licences and the proposal for an environmental fee in the report."
The joint Oireachtas committee meeting will be addressed by Minister of State for the Marine, John Browne, and by two members of the three-man review group that carried out the report. Outside the Dáil, several hundred coastal community representatives are expected to voice their support for a voluntary buyout, rather than a ban, at a protest organised by the Irish Traditional Salmon Netsmen's Association.
Several other commercial fishing organisations, including the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation, and the Irish Fish Producers' Organisation, will be supporting the march.
Martin Kerin of the Irish Traditional Salmon Netsmen's Association said the report's proposed lifting of the ban on the sale of rod-caught salmon indicates "a sinister reallocation of resources from the commercial sector, who are dependent on it for their livelihood, to the leisure sector".
Organisations representing the vast majority of some 17,000 salmon anglers say they support the review group's report and are prepared to stop angling on rivers where stocks are at stake.
In a letter to Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach Tom Kitt, the anglers express concern that the Government may fear that adoption of the report will cause a backlash from anglers over its recommended closure of many rivers in the south and east. The letter was drafted by Stop Now, founded in 2004 by representatives of the main game angling federations, fishery owners and tourism interests to campaign for an end to drift-netting. The letter was also sent on behalf of angling clubs throughout the east, southeast, midlands and southwest.
Bob Wemyss of Stop Now said only one organisation, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Seatrout Anglers, had expressed reservations about the proposed river closures. He said the federation represented about 50 clubs.
Brian Sheerin, chief executive officer of the Southern Regional Fisheries Board, says he supports a ban on salmon angling in all rivers that are below their conservation limit, adding that "the commercial salmon fishing sector and the angling sector are both intent on killing the last wild Irish salmon and then trying to persuade the public that they are conservationists".