Sir, Recently, in correspondence to this newspaper, Mr Declan Turnbull rightly welcomed the development work carried out on the Cathedral Beat on the River Moy in Ballina. Mr Turnbull also correctly referred to the angling potential of the rest of the River Moy, if salmon were more widely available along the river.
In this context, I am sure Mr Turnbull and many of your readers will be pleased to know that a five year development programme for the River Moy catchment is under way at the moment, to improve angling facilities and to increase the number of fish generated on the system in order to accommodate additional anglers. These works are being carried out by the North Western Regional Fisheries Board in collaboration with the Central Fisheries Board under the Tourism Angling Measure, Tourism Operational Programme, 1994-1999, which is supported financially by the European Regional Development Fund.
In addition, the Central Fisheries Board has withdrawn the commercial draft nets which were fished in the lower stretches, and has restricted the operation of the traps to conserve the more vulnerable runs of spring salmon. These actions ensure a greater escapement upriver, thus leaving more fish available for anglers and for spawning purposes.
The Moy Catchment is a complex fishing resource. Apart from being one of Europe's premier salmon fisheries, it provides lake brown trout angling on waters such as Loughs Conn and Cullin. There are also first class brown trout angling rivers within the catchment, and an excellent sea trout fishery in the estuary. However, over a period of years, the spawning rivers in the Moy Catchment had become badly affected by a wide range of human activities, which in turn led to a deterioration of fish stocks.
A range of internationally used river development techniques is now being employed to increased salmon, sea trout and brown trout production on the system. Already, significant increases in the numbers of fish are evident on the Loughs Conn and Cullin subcatchments, only one year after the completion of part of the works programme.
The development works focus on restoring the rivers to their natural state. Salmon and trout nurseries are being improved through the creation of pools, the construction of weirs and the placement of logs in streams to provide shelter and shade for juvenile fish. The riverbanks, too, are being protected and reinforced and natural bankside vegetation is being restored.
In order to improve facilities for anglers, further holding pools are being created on the main Moy channel and on a number of smaller rivers and streams. In addition, access to the river is being improved through the pruning or removal of shrubs and trees on riverbanks and the installation of bank walkways, stiles and footbridges.
Ultimately, the objective of the development works on the Moy Catchment is to attract over 18,500 anglers a year, generating an estimated £10 million in revenue for the area and creating almost 500 jobs. To achieve this objective, an investment of £2 million is being made over a five year period. Since 1994, approximately £600,000 has been spent on this programme and a further £10,000 will be expended on works to be carried out later this year. - Yours, etc.,
Chief officer,
Central Fisheries Board, Balnagowan, Mobhi Boreen, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.