Mackerel, pollack, dogfish, seabass and whiting were the most-widely caught fish species by Ireland’s 250,000 sea anglers in 2022, according to new data from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

The results are taken from IFI’s Irish Marine Recreational Angling Survey (IMREC) app, which enables anglers to log their catch details on their phones as they fish.

Other data revealed by Irish shore and boat anglers — fishing along more than 3,000km of coastline — during 2022, reveals that:

• Counties Cork, Clare, Donegal, Kerry and Wexford were hotspots for marine angling;
• During 2022 anglers spent an average of 42 hours each, fishing by the/at sea;
• An average of just over 80 fish were caught by recreational fishermen/women annually;
• During a single trip anglers caught more than six fish;
• Catch and release rates were over 80%;
• Approximately six different species were caught per angler annually.

Flounder, poor cod, dab, ballan wrasse and smooth hound were also among the top 10 most-caught fish species brought ashore around Ireland’s coasts last year.

A survey of 1,200 sea anglers by IFI in 2021 showed that more than 90% of respondents said they primarily fished to relax and unwind, and be in the outdoors.

In addition, they reported spending an average of €100 per fishing trip on food and drink, transport and bait.

They paid a further €970 annually on items such as rods, reels and clothing, and on fishing and boating expenses.

Sea anglers of any experience are invited to sign up to the IFI IMREC app, and a explanatory how-to video guide to IMREC is also available.

Commenting on the 2022 figures, Dr Diarmuid Ryan, research officer with IFI said: “We are very keen for more anglers in this community to sign up to our anonymous, free and easy-to-use app.

“Recreational anglers can become citizen scientists by recording information from their own fishing sessions.

“The app provides invaluable intelligence, in the form of pooled and anonymised information, that feeds into a broader European project that monitors marine fish stocks.

“IFI recognises anglers as critical stakeholders that effectively act as environmental stewards in helping to maintain Ireland’s rich marine life resources.”

Hobby fishermen/women who use the online diary tool can easily log their trips; attach photos of their catches; record details such as tide, weather and bait used; and look back over previous sessions on their own interactive map.

The IMREC app is not available via Google Play or Apple App Store but is a web-based app that is accessed through a web browser.

Earlier this week, IFI revealed that a record percentage of wild salmon were placed back in the water after being hooked by fishermen/women in 2022, as reported on Afloat.ie.

A newly published report by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) reveals a record percentage of wild salmon were placed back in the water after being hooked by fishermen/women in 2022.

And IFI’s Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2022 shows that five rivers in four counties accounted for more than half of all salmon caught in 2022.

Last year, anglers in Ireland released back 54 per cent of their wild salmon catch compared to 52 per cent in 2021 and 51 per cent in 2020.

The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2022 outlines the total number of fish caught by all methods (commercial and angling, including catch and release) was 26,715 salmon and 2,082 sea trout.

This is a reduction of 14 per cent on the total salmon catch recorded in 2021 (31,148) but an increase of 30pc of the total sea trout catch recorded that year (1,595).

The report highlights that 53 per cent of all salmon caught last year were taken on just five rivers across four counties: the River Moy in Co Mayo (18%), the River Blackwater (Lismore) in Co Cork (16.1%), the River Laune in Co Kerry (7.3%), the River Corrib in Co Galway (5.9%) and the Lower River Lee in Co Cork (5.4%).

In other notable statistics from the 2022 report, anglers from 42 different countries held salmon rod licences in Ireland in 2022.

Most of these licences were sold to residents of the Republic of Ireland (66.5%), followed by Northern Ireland (11%) and Great Britain (6.6%). Hundreds of anglers from France, Germany and the United States also bought salmon licences in 2022 during trips here.

Commercial fishers caught 15 per cent of the salmon catch in 2022, compared to 21 per cent in 2021 and recreational anglers caught 85 per cent in 2022 compared to 79 per cent in 2021.

A total of 17,318 salmon licences were bought by fishermen and women in 2022 — up some 11 per cent on the corresponding figure for 2021.

Barry Fox, head of operations at IFI said: “Catch-and-release of salmonids in Irelands rivers and lakes is becoming the norm.

“It is very encouraging to see the year-on-year increase in the catch-and-release of salmon. This method supports the angling community to sustainably fish, and conserves our salmon stocks.

“Wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout continue to face numerous risks, including climate change, water pollution and illegal fishing.

“I commend all our stakeholders who participate in the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme, which limits the number of fish that can be retained, and helps ensure its continued success.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has secured a prosecution against Uisce Éireann for pollution of the River Liffey at a water treatment plant in Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare.

At a recent sitting of Naas District Court, Judge Desmond Zaidan convicted Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) of water pollution offences in the Liffey, which dated to June 2022.

The conviction was secured against Uisce Éireann on Monday 3 July under Section 171 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959, for allowing deleterious matter to enter the River Liffey’s main channel upstream of Ballymore Eustace.

Uisce Éireann pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined €5,000, and ordered to pay an additional €5,500 in costs and expenses.

Commenting on the case, Brian Beckett, Eastern River Basin District Director at IFI said: “Point-source pollution events such as this are entirely avoidable through good on-site management, regular visual checks, and monitoring of discharge points.

“Effluent discharges can significantly impact fish populations and other aquatic life of receiving waters. River Liffey fish populations, comprising several fish species, are under significant ecological pressure.

“Despite this pressure, the River Liffey remains one of only a handful of European capital cities through which a self-sustaining population of Atlantic salmon migrate.

“Fines imposed in this case will be invested in water quality and habitat improvements in the River Liffey catchment.

“IFI is currently working on a number of initiatives in the River Liffey catchment with regulatory and non-regulatory stakeholders with a view to maximising the sustainability of all fish — including Atlantic salmon — and their habitat.”

Members of the public are encouraged to report instances of water pollution, illegal fishing or fish kills to IFI’s confidential number at 0818 34 74 24.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is investigating a serious incident near Kinsale in Co Cork in which at least 2,000 fish have died.

The fish kill occurred on the Brownsmills stream in Co Cork and spread over a 4-5km stretch, flowing into the estuary at Kinsale.

Species of fish discovered dead include brown trout and eel. IFI says it first became aware of the issue on Wednesday (12 July) when a member of the public informed staff of seeing dead fish in the stream.

IFI have taken fish and water samples for analysis; Cork County Council Environmental Department are assisting with the investigation.

The State agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland’s freshwater fish and habitats says it is not in a position to confirm the specific cause of the fish kill at this early stage, but investigations are continuing.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has opened the final draw of 2023 for anglers who wish to catch and keep wild salmon and sea trout greater than 40cm from the Lower River Lee in Cork this year.

A further 45 brown tags are being allocated on Monday 24 July, following the first lottery for 45 tags in January, the second for 40 tags in March and the third for 45 tags in May. A total of 180 brown tags are being made available for the season via this series of online lotteries.

The pool system allocates brown tags to anglers who are successful in the lottery system. The tags must be placed on harvested fish along with a blue tag as proof it was lawfully caught and may be retained for private use.

These essential identification rules for salmon angling are in force until the season closes on 30 September 2023.

Commenting on the requirements, Sean Long, director of the Southwest River Basin District at IFI said: “Brown tag regulations for salmon and sea trout are required on the Lower River Lee in Cork to conserve stocks and avoid accidental over-harvesting.

“Where there is a modest harvestable surplus with a risk of over exploitation, this brown gill tag system is introduced to closely monitor the angling quotas.

“The numbers of wild Atlantic salmon returning to our rivers is declining and the risk of over-fishing puts stocks in further jeopardy. Conservation measures such as brown tags are necessary and very effective.”

Three quarters of the available 180 tags have been issued to anglers with a valid 2023 rod licence. Any anglers that are interested in entering the final draw are being asked to apply before the closing date of 5pm on Thursday 20 July.

Anglers with a 2023 rod licence who are not allocated a brown tag are only permitted to fish for salmon and sea trout greater than 40cm on a catch-and-release basis on the Lower River Lee, where the salmon is returned safely to the same waterbody.

Three men have been fined in relation to the illegal capture of 27 salmon and the use of 861 metres of illegal nets off the coast of Mayo.

Patrick O’Donnell, Milan Funket, and Marek Radomsky were observed by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) officers setting drift nets from a boat, skippered by O’Donnell, which were later retrieved at Porturlin, North Mayo.

O’Donnell, Funket and Radomsky appeared before Belmullet District Court on Wednesday 14 June, charged with the offences.

The court was told that O’Donnell was the “ringleader” in the operation. He was convicted and fined a total of €3,000 for breaches of fisheries legislation, a further €1,000 in expenses to IFI and €1,845 in costs to IFI.

Funket was fined €750 for the possession of a net and Radomsky was fined €1,000 for the possession of illegally captured salmon.

Judge Fiona Lydon heard evidence from Inspector Lonan O’Farrell of IFI, that on 17 June 2022 he observed the three men setting a drift net from the boat, the Cailin Ban.

The net was later retrieved and placed in the boat, following which the Cailin Ban headed for Porturlin pier.

On its arrival at the pier a crew member disembarked, and the illegally caught salmon were put into a van. IFI officers intercepted the van at the pier, cautioned and questioned the driver, and seized the 27 salmon.

However, despite efforts by IFI fisheries officers to speak to the crew, the boat returned to sea and three bags were seen thrown overboard.

The Cailin Ban re-entered Porturlin pier where IFI officers boarded the boat and cautioned the two men on board. IFI personnel later retrieved the bags with the illegal drift nets that had been discarded at sea.

Francis O’Donnell, chief executive of IFI said: “The scale of this illegal salmon netting at sea was at a commercial level, and posed a significant threat to our wild Atlantic salmon stocks. It is a serious environmental crime, and such crimes will not be tolerated by IFI.”

Mary Walsh, IFI’s director of the Western River Basin District in Ballina added: “I commend the coordinated response of our dedicated teams. There were many factors contributing to the success of this operation, including intelligence, leadership, and planning, as well as the availability and use of specialised equipment.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) officials will be questioned on the agency’s 2021 accounts at the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) on Thursday (July 6).

Members of the Oireachtas committee will be joined by officials from the Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, and representatives from IFI led by chief executive Francis O’Donnell.

Officials from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications will also be in attendance.

PAC Cathaoirleach Brian Stanley said: “Inland Fisheries Ireland is the state agency responsible for fisheries management of freshwater fish and coastal fish within 12 nautical miles of the shore”.

“The Board of IFI consists of 10 members – the chairperson, seven non-executive members, an elected employee, and the CEO, as an ex-officio member. There were three resignations from the board in 2022 and two in January 2023,” Stanley said.

“Under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, the Minister for the Environment, Climate & Communications removed the remaining members of the Board on a “no fault” basis in February 2023 and appointed two persons to perform the functions of IFI Board for a period of up to six months, pending the reconstitution of the board,” he said.

“IFI made an overall deficit for 2021 of over €5m compared to a surplus of €3.4m in 2020. In 2021 its income amounted to nearly €32m, a decrease of nearly €5.1m, which was predominately due to the reduction of €5.8m in funding it received from the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communication when compared to 2020,” Stanley noted.

“The majority of IFI’s grant funding (€24.4m) is derived from the Inland Fisheries of Vote 29 – Environment, Climate & Communications. Its other source of income amounted to €4.3m in 2021, generated from various strands of its business, such as contract work, licence and permit income, and Salmon Conservation Funding,” he said.

“Its expenditure for the same period increased to €36.8m in 2021. The main element of this €2.9m increase is related to ‘staff costs’ for both its administrative and operations functions,” he continued.

“Areas of interest for the Committee raised in the 2021 IFI financial statements include internal issues between the board and executive, the governance of dormant accounts funding and the refund by IFI of €30,000, the management of Aasleagh Lodge and Cottages in Co Galway, the ongoing investigation by An Garda Síochána into matters uncovered at IFI, the Senior Counsel review of IFI Board, issues around uninsured vehicles and fleet management, the use of agency staff and legal cost,” Stanley said.

“The committee looks forward to examining these and related matters with Mr O’Donnell and his colleagues,” he said.

The PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money.

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

A primary school in Sligo has reeled in the winning prize in Inland Fisheries Ireland’s (IFI) Something Fishy competition for 2023.

Something Fishy is an educational programme aimed at primary school pupils aged between 10-13 years old. It informs and educates students on fish, water, angling and the Irish environment.

Sixth class learners at Scoil Mhuire agus Iosaf in Collooney, Co Sligo created the winning project in this year’s competition, and received a €500 prize voucher to be used for educational purposes at the school.

On completion of the programme, primary school students were challenged by IFI to create a project to demonstrate their learnings based on the theme of ‘life along the river’.

Scoil Mhuire agus Iosaf pupils’ project was based on a visit to the Unshin River in Riverstown, and the life cycle of Atlantic salmon for whom the river and its tributaries are an important area for spawning.

Their project took the form of a large 3D papier mâché sculpture showing the river in two contrasting states — healthy and unhealthy — with clay salmon to illustrate the different stages of their life cycle and how it interacts with the environment.

Announcing the winners, Suzanne Campion, head of finance and corporate services at IFI said: “This winning project showcased a great level of awareness from these young Sligo students of biodiversity in and around our rivers. A big thanks to Sligo Education Centre for their assistance with schools in the Sligo area.

“It is reassuring to see the knowledge that these children have on issues around the conservation and protection of our fisheries resource. Such interest and engagement on the sustainability of our fish and habitats bodes well for future generations — who will, after all, be the custodians of our inland fisheries in the years to come.”

This year 45 schools participated in the Something Fishy initiative, which is organised by IFI in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched an open call for youth clubs, community groups and schools in the greater Dublin area to take part in its local fishing programme, the Dublin Angling Initiative.

The project aims to promote, develop and improve angling among children and young people. In 2023 IFI is once again looking for interested parties for the summer, autumn and winter months to learn how to fish.

Speaking about the call, Brian Beckett, director of the Eastern River Basin District at IFI said: “In 2022 we took over 600 young people from the Dublin area out fishing. We are asking youth clubs, community groups as well as national and secondary schools to get in touch if they would like to try out a new hobby and learn skills for life.

“As well as learning a new skill, there are the additional health and wellbeing benefits of taking part in an outdoor activity and disconnecting from the online world.

“The initiative introduces young people to the pursuit, giving access to fishing equipment, guidance around how and where to fish and builds awareness about the importance of protecting and conserving our fisheries resource and its wonderful biodiversity.”

The project offers children and young people of all abilities an opportunity to take fishing lessons, participate in fishing trips and enjoy family fishing days.

Interested clubs, schools or groups can contact IFI’s DAI co-ordinator Rory Keatinge by email at [email protected] or by phone at 087 614 2906.

A new public consultation on the long-term management of the Great Western Lakes is now under way.

It follows last year’s consultation on the first draft of the plan by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The plan covers the seven lakes that comprise the Great Western Lakes: Lough Corrib, Lough Mask and Lough Carra in Co Galway, Lough Conn and Lough Cullin in Co Mayo, Lough Arrow in counties Sligo and Roscommon, and Lough Sheelin in Cavan, Meath and Westmeath.

IFI says it has developed a long-term management plan for these lakes to address many of the factors currently impacting on the ecological wellbeing of native fish stocks and their habitats.

A series of open evenings were held at six locations in Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Cavan last autumn to allow stakeholders to meet local staff to find out more about the plan. An online webinar was also hosted by senior management in IFI to allow any stakeholders to put questions or queries to help inform them to make a submission.

Also in 2022, IFI screened the plan for appropriate assessment and carried out strategic environmental assessment scoping.

Following the completion of the initial public consultation process, IFI reviewed the feedback provided by statutory consultees, the public and other stakeholders.

The plan was then revised to take account of the feedback where appropriate. Environmental assessments of the revised plan were then carried out; these comprised a full Natura Impact Statement and Strategic Environmental Assessment - Environmental Report.

In accordance with environmental regulations, IFI is now holding public consultations on the Natura Impact Statement and Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report for the Long Term Management Plan for the Great Western Lakes. The consultation will be open until 4pm on Monday 31 July.

IFI says feedback received will help inform its decision on whether or not to adopt the plan.

All relevant documents are available on the IFI website and physical copies can be viewed (and purchased for €50 per document) at its Galway, Limerick and Ballina offices during office hours. Copies can also be viewed at IFI’s Lough Sheelin office by appointment with the Shannon River Basin District Office in Limerick.

Members of the public can make submissions on the plan, the Natura Impact Statement and/or the Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report by email to [email protected] or by post to:

WLMP Consultation
Inland Fisheries Ireland
3044 Lake Drive
Citywest Business Campus
Dublin D24 CK66

The submission should clearly state whether it refers to the plan, the Natura Impact Statement and/or the Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report. Submissions received after the closing date of 4pm on Monday 31 July will not be considered.