A public consultation on the future management of the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme has been launched by Inland Fisheries Ireland.
The forum is geared to encourage those with an interest in the area to submit their views on how the tagging system can be improved and modernised.
It is especially keen to hear from salmon and sea trout anglers, angling clubs, commercial fishermen and those businesses that distribute licences, such as tackle shops.
The scheme was set-up in 2001 to record the issuing of wild salmon and sea trout licences, gill tags and logbooks, and to process details of catches on a database for further analysis.
Figures from the 2020 statistics report show that 14,138 licences were sold to recreational anglers and 78 to public commercial fishermen.
The review is envisaged to encompass the entire tagging system to see how it can be made more user-friendly and ensure it can provide the agency with real-time, accurate data, management and conservation of the tagging scheme.
Suzanne Campion, head of business development, said: “We see this as the perfect opportunity for the public, especially those involved in the angling sector, to have their say on the management of how licences, tags and logbooks are issued and distributed in the future.”
Public consultation closes on Wednesday, December 1st, 2021 at 5pm. The public is invited to make submissions at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BradanConsultation.
Alternatively, written submissions can be emailed to bradanconsultation@fisheriesireland.ie or posted to Inland Fisheries Ireland's head office in Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24.
Logbooks and tags to be returned
Salmon and sea trout anglers who have not yet returned their angling logbook and unused gill tags for 2021 are requested to do so immediately. Anglers are required by law to return these items within seven days of licence expiry and no later than October 19th each year.
Logbooks and tags can be returned via the prepaid postage return envelope supplied at time of license purchase. Alternatively, scanned logbooks and licences may be emailed to salmonlogbookreturn@fisheriesireland.ie.
Please note that both sides and any continuation pages should be included to ensure name and number can be linked to the correct logbook.
November issue of Fish-Live-Learn available
The November online newsletter of Fish-Live-Learn with Glenda Powell of Blackwater Fishery is now available and again, makes for interesting reading.
According to Powell, the season may be well over on the Blackwater but the impetus from the nine monthly issues to date has encouraged further exploration of what the winter has to offer.
In this month’s edition she travels to Bleach Lough in Limerick to meet fly tying instructor Michael Quinlivan; chats with casting demonstrator Christopher Rownes at the EWF show, near Munich, Germany and meets Paul Morgan, owner of Coch-Y-Bonddu Books.
She also explains the art of false casting and shooting line with the single handed rod, and Lucy Thompson tells of her fishing adventures.
If all that wasn’t enough, she attempts to make an Austrian/Bavarian sweet treat and recounts some of the highlights of a wee walk in October.
Glenda Powell is regarded as one of the world's leading fly casting instructors and has taught fly casting and fishing for 28 years. For more information, contact www.glendapowellfishing.com. Email: glenda@glendapowellfishing.com or tel. +353 87 235 1260.
*If you have an angling story to share, please send it to me at angling@irishtimes.com.
