From a wild-salmon preservation perspective, last Wednesday's decision by the Government to adopt the recommendations of the Independent Salmon Group (ISG) is great news, which guarantees the future of one of Ireland's most precious assets. The Government, and in particular the Minister for the Marine, Noel Dempsey, and Minister of State for the Marine, John Browne, are to be commended for their quick and decisive action on the report.
Having read the ISG report in full, I would also like to add my gratitude to the report's authors for their comprehensive analysis and understanding of the complex issues involved.
Yes, we could all nitpick elements of the report. I listened to the discussions on radio and read the newspapers, but the bottom line was that unless a complete cessation of drift-netting was introduced now, as well as a curtailment of angling on vulnerable rivers, we could all pack our bags and take up golf.
The word "indiscriminate" was inescapable. No matter what argument was put up against the report the driftnets could not distinguish between salmon destined for sustainable and unsustainable rivers. And therein lay the heart of the problem.
Of course there will be some hardship for netsmen as they exit the fishery, but there again, a compensation package of more than 25 million seems fair and appropriate - as it is a figure based on the average tag returns for each licence-holder over the past five years.
With the driftnets gone, it has been estimated that 100,000 extra salmon (based on last year's figures) will return to their natal rivers. Once there, they must be carefully managed, and a range of measures introduced to ensure stocks recover. These measures include improvement in water quality, enhanced fisheries protection and improvement in spawning grounds.
The experts have spoken and the Government has responded in full. Let the revival and survival begin in earnest. There is still much work to be done.
The Marine Institute will host an important workshop this Wednesday at its headquarters in Oranmore, Co Galway. Organised by CoastNet as part of the Corepoint project, the workshop will focus on the recent EU Green Paper for coastal zone management. The keynote address will be given by Gustavo Fernandez Diez-Picazo of the EC Task Force.
Dr Peter Heffernan of the Marine Institute said: "Questions facing the workshop are, for example, how to develop a coastal area for tourism while enhancing the environment; how the attractiveness of our beaches can be increased while developing maritime industries, and to what extent environmental risk is a threat to competitiveness?" Corepoint (Coastal Research and Policy Integration) is funded by the EU Interreg 3B Programme, has 12 partners, including CoastNet, and is co-ordinated by Coastal and Marine Resources Centre, University College Cork. For further details, see http://corepoint.ucc.ie.
Ennis and District Angling Association took top prize in the amateur category of the Wild Trout Trust and Classic Malts Awards at last month's ceremony in the Offices of the Scottish Executive, Whitehall, London.
The club earned the award for its development work on the River Fergus, which included the erection of weirs, groynes, narrowing of channels, bank side pruning, fencing and gravelling. Based on a river survey by independent fishery scientists, the project was part-funded by the Heritage Council, Leader, Wild Trout Trust and fundraising.
"We look forward to the day when we return our fishery to the standards of years before," said club chairman, John Weir.
The Waterways Ireland Erne International Pike Fishing Classic proved an outstanding success, with more then 400 fish caught and returned during the three-day event. Conditions were ideal, with overcast and foggy weather and a good flow rate on Lough Erne.
Fish welfare was uppermost in mind and best practice employed when handling fish under the supervision of inland fisheries staff. The event was sponsored by Waterways Ireland and organised by Erne Anglers AC with support from Fermanagh District Council and DCAL Inland Fisheries.
An inter-club pike competition involving Blessington, Foxford and Balla AC took place yesterday week on Derryhick Lake in Co Mayo, at which 46 anglers accounted for 16 fish with the best weighing 4.1kg. Derryhick holds an excellent stock of pike and also has fine bank-fishing facilities. Further details at info@nwrfb.com.