Later this week, the first part of a consignment of one million salmon ova will leave the Salmon Research Agency of Ireland for Germany where they will be implanted in the rivers Rhine, Weser and Elbe. The exercise is part of an ambitious, six year scientific programme designed to reintroduce wild salmon stocks to these three major European rivers and to make them self sustaining natural hatcheries. Apart from the direct economic benefits which will accrue to this country from such scientific cooperation, public relations considerations may be of equal importance. Already, the Irish input into the Rhine salmon restocking programme has received considerable publicity in the German media. This will not only contribute to a "feel good" factor between the two countries, but will underpin Ireland's image as an unpolluted tourist destination and a producer of high quality food products.
The fact that German salmon genes are involved in this restocking programme is a by product of earlier scientific co operation. Back in the 1890s, before gross industrial pollution devastated the Ruhr valley and millions of wild salmon still ran the 692 mile Rhine, ova from this great river were imported for use on the Ilen River in Skibbereen. Stock enhancement programmes involving German ova were also conducted in the Ballisodare, Shannon and Currane systems in the past. Now that major clean up operations are making European rivers habitable to salmon once again, the time has come to repay an old debt. And so, fish carrying Rhine gene strains will be returned to Dr Ken Whelan, who heads the Salmon Research Agency at Newport in Co Mayo, talks of making the establishment a "one stop salmon shop" for the scientists from Germany, Switzerland, France and Holland who are involved in the Rhine 2000 restoration programme. Apart from selling ova and advising on the suitability of available stocks, the agency will be urging the use of ESB expertise in the construction of fish passes and the management of stocks, while the skills, scientific knowledge and experience of the Central Fisheries Board, Queen's University, Belfast and University College, Cork, will also be promoted.
The use of Irish ova in these major European salmon restoration initiatives provides a marvellous opportunity for international fisheries cooperation and for the promotion of Ireland's unique freshwater fisheries resources. The programme may also help to convince the EU that salmon should be regarded as a Community resource, rather than a national responsibility, and lead to the provision of EU funding for the development and enhancement of migratory salmonid stocks.