#FishKill - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has successfully prosecuted Irish Water over a chemical discharge on 18 August last year that causing a significant fish kill on a tributary of the Tullamore River.

At a sitting of Portlaoise District Court on Friday 15 July, Judge Catherine Staines heard evidence from Michael Fitzsimons, a senior fisheries environmental officer with IFI, that following a pollution report received from Irish Water, IFI carried out a detailed investigation on the Clodiagh River.

Over 3,000 fish mortalities were estimated over a 4km stretch of the river, consisting predominantly of trout along with other species such as salmon, lamprey, minnow and stoneloach.

The fish kill was as a direct result of a chemical discharge from an accident at the Irish Water plant in Clonsalee, Co Laois. Irish Water entered a guilty plea.

Judge Staines directed Irish Water to pay IFI’s legal costs of €5,016 and to cover the full cost of the rehabilitation works to be carried out downstream of the incident area. A development plan will be formulated by IFI in the coming weeks.

The judge did not impose a fine on the basis that it would be the Irish taxpayer paying for the incident. She also instructed Irish Water to carry out a full review of its Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) and provide a report to her by 21st July 2017.

Judge Staines stated that she did not want to see an incident like this happening again.

“This was a serious pollution incident which will take a considerable number of years for the river to recover," said Amanda Mooney, Shannon River Basin District director with IFI.

"I am pleased with the outcome of the case and the provision for vital rehabilitation works to assist fish stocks to recover naturally.”

Judge Staines adjourned the case until 21 July 2017 to allow sufficient time for the rehabilitation works and WWTP review report to be concluded.

In other news, submissions are open for the consultation on plans to phase out fish farming at three of four IFI facilities it currently operates around Ireland.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, operations in Roscrea, Co Tipperary; Cullion in Mullingar, Co Westmeath and Lough Allua in West Cork are affected by the restructuring plan.

Facilities at Cong in Co Mayo will be retained or research and stocking purposes, but rainbow and brown trout will no longer be farmed for sale.

Submissions should be made in writing before 5pm on Friday 19 August to [email protected] or Fish Farm Consultation, IFI, 3044 Lake Drive, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin D24 Y265.

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is seeking submissions from interested parties in relation to proposals to introduce two bye-laws on the Clare River system, and a bye-law defining the upstream and downstream boundaries of the Cong Canal/River – both in the Western River Basin District.

The proposals currently under consideration for the Clare River sysrem are to request the minister to introduce two bye-laws as follows:

• Revoke bye-law 841 of 2008 to permit all legal angling methods on the Clare River from Daly’s Bridge in the townland of Corrandrum to a point 300m upstream of the footbridge at Anbally in the townlands of Anbally and Turloughmartin, Co Galway. This section of river is currently fly-only and the proposed bye-law will bring it into line with the rest of the Clare River.
• Extend the closed season for all angling on the Abbert and Grange Rivers by two months to cover the period 1 September to 31 March annually. This bye-law is being proposed as a conservation measure having regard to the very significant contribution of both of these rivers to wild brown trout stocks in the Clare River system and Lough Corrib.

Meanwhile, the proposal under consideration for the Cong Canal/River is to request a bye-law that would clearly define the upstream boundary between Lough Mask and the Cong Canal and the downstream boundary between the Cong River and Lough Corrib.

The purpose of the proposed bye-law is to enable the effective enforcement of legislation governing the open angling seasons for trout and salmon on the Cong Canal/River as these differ from the open seasons for these species on Loughs Corrib and Mask.

If considered necessary, IFI may decide to arrange a public consultation meeting on any or all of the proposed bye-laws. All submissions must be received in writing and will be published on the IFI website.

Submissions should be marked 'Public consultation- Clare River system' or 'Public consultation - Cong Canal/River' respectively, and be submitted by email to [email protected] or by post to:

The Director,
Inland Fisheries Ireland,
Teac Breac,
Earl’s Island,
Galway

The public consultation period will run for four weeks and the closing date for receipt of submissions is 5pm on Thursday 11 August 2016.

#Jobs - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is recruiting a Fish Community Modeller on a temporary basis (circa 18 months) to work in its research department based in Citywest with occasional requirement to travel to Queens University Belfast (QUB) as part of the role.

The successful candidate will report to a senior research officer and will be tasked with developing a realistic mathematical model of predator-prey interactions in lake fish communities.

The model will take account of existing knowledge relating to focal species, including population dynamics, life-history strategies, feeding ecology, behaviour and physiology and will be used to evaluate the ecological consequences of fisheries management strategies.

They will also be required to contribute to publication of peer review papers and disseminate results at conferences and stakeholder groups; to add to modelling capacity at IFI and contribute to relevant research activities as appropriate; and to participate in the fisheries modelling group at QUB.

The successful applicant will be expected to:

• Quickly understand the management context of the project and available data.
• Design, build in software and test a two-species model of fish population dynamics.
• Interact productively with staff in the IFI research team and contribute to the fisheries modelling group at QUB.
• Produce publications and material to support and promote the correct use of the model in fisheries management and policy.
• Have proven ability to build and test quantitative computation models in software, including coding in at least one third-generation language (C, C++, etc) and a mathematical scripting language (Matlab, R, etc).
• Perform other duties as may be allocated by the senior research Officer or his/her nominee.
• Have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant area.
• Be available from 1 September 2016.
• Have a full driving licence valid in the State.

The successful candidate will ideally possess:

• A PhD in a relevant area.
• Evidence of successful peer review publication.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an emphasis on communication of science to diverse stakeholders.

This is a temporary appointment, estimated to be for a period of 18 months. Salary range is on the HEO Salary Scale (as of 1 November 2013), €40,675-€57,405, 11-point scale including 2 LSIs (appointment will be made on the first point of the scale).

Applications for this role should be submitted in the form of a cover letter and CV quoting reference ‘Modeller’ to [email protected] by 5pm on Monday 18 July 2016.

Applications will be shortlisted on the basis of information provided in the cover letter and CV. Late applications will not be accepted. Canvassing will disqualify. Inland Fisheries Ireland is an equal opportunities employer.

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has today (Monday 4 July) published the indicative timetable for the review of the National Pike and Trout Policies.

Following the appointment of a Policy Review Group later this month, the review process will commence with a scoping consultation which will be open to all interested parties.

IFI says it has long recognised that public policy-making can be enhanced through the active involvement and contribution of all stakeholders and has set out how it will develop policies and consult with stakeholders in its IFI Procedure on Policy Development and IFI Stakeholder Consultation Policy.

It is expected that the updated National Pike and Trout Policy documents will be available a year from now in July 2017.

A policy group will be appointed shortly and will comprise of five IFI staff from the research, operations and business Development divisions.

“IFI is committed to consulting with stakeholders and the general public on matters of inland fisheries policy," said chief executive Dr Ciaran Byrne. "I expect the forthcoming scoping consultation process to gather useful information that will provide an evidence base for the update of the pike and trout policies in tandem.

“An agreed view from angler stakeholder groups would be most welcome and I urge the representative groups to work for such an outcome. I encourage all domestic and tourist anglers, tourism providers and the general public to provide their views on the important issues regarding the management of our important pike and trout species.”

The inland fisheries body acknowledges the upcoming protest being staged by pike interests and can confirm that no decision has been taken regarding the cessation or otherwise of pike management operations in designated trout waters for 2017.

IFI says it has accelerated the review of the policies and is working to ensure the completion of this exercise in as consultative way as possible that ensures all interested parties have input to policy formulation .

As advised previously, work continues within IFI regarding the examination of:

• The current stock management programme, including resource usage, fish transfer and health and safety.
• Marketing and socio-economic information to include actual and potential economic value.
• Scientific information to provide advice and to consider the scientific merits of the processes being currently undertaken.

The timeline for the review process is available to read or download HERE.

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is seeking submissions from interested parties in relation to a proposal to introduce a byelaw prohibiting trolling on Glen Lough (River Lackagh) in the North Western River Basin District.

The proposal currently under consideration is to request the minister to introduce a byelaw on Glen Lough to prohibit trolling for any species of fish at any time.

Trolling means to fish from a boat, which is being rowed or mechanically propelled through water, by trailing or towing a fishing line with a hook, bait or lure attached.

IFI may, as part of the process, arrange a public consultation meeting if deemed necessary, but all submissions must be received in writing and will be published on the IFI website at www.fisheriesireland.ie.

Submissions should be marked ‘Public consultation - Glen Lough’ and sent by email to [email protected] or by post to:

The Director,
Inland Fisheries Ireland,
Station Road,
Ballyshannon,
Co Donegal

The public consultation period will run for four weeks and the closing date for receipt of submissions is 5pm on Friday 22 July 2016.

#Seafood - Wild Atlantic salmon is now available at fish counters around Ireland.

This salmon comes from sustainably managed traditional net fisheries on estuaries and rivers around Ireland, where the number of returning salmon allows fish to be harvested while maintaining a healthy stock of spawning fish for future generations.

In total, the commercial quota for the wild Atlantic salmon harvest is just 11,131 from a total of 58,599 (angling and commercial combined), which makes it a premium and sought-after product.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says wild Irish salmon can be regarded as truly organic, having lived its life in the wild, fed on wild fish and krill, and travelling thousands of miles on its long ocean migration, ensuring firm flesh and high levels of healthy Omega-3 oils.

Salmon conservation measures ensure that only appropriately tagged and recorded wild salmon, commercially caught within the state, may be sold.

As part of the wild salmon and sea trout tagging regulations, all legally caught wild salmon must have a valid gill tag (green in the case of draft net, white in the case of snap net fishing) or tail-tag, in the case of imported wild salmon, before processing, and only authorised dealers or commercial licensed salmon fishermen may sell them. It is not permitted to sell rod caught wild salmon within the state or sell wild salmon without a valid gill or tail tag attached.

Sean Kyne, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, said: “Wild Atlantic Salmon is a premium product. We all have a duty to ensure that conservation measures continue to be effective. Buying or selling illegally caught salmon jeopardises Ireland’s potential to have a sustainable salmon fishery into the future.”

Farmed salmon and organic farmed salmon is a very different product to wild salmon. Farmed salmon is widely available year round. If consumers have any doubts as to the origin of the salmon, please ask the supplier and help conserve Ireland's wonderful wild salmon resource. Farmed salmon being sold as wild should be reported to the Food Safety Authority. For more information visit www.fisheriesireland.ie.

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is currently carrying out a fish stock survey on Lough Derg to assess the current status of the fish populations in the lake.

The survey began on Monday 13 June and continues till Friday 1 July. It involves the netting of over 200 sites throughout Lough Derg and Parteen reservoir.

Four different types of survey nets are being used. Many of these survey nets are being set on the lake bed but a small proportion are being set as floating survey nets on the surface. A hydroacoustic survey of the deeper parts of the lake is also being undertaken.

The fisheries research survey will be conducted by IFI under the supervision of Inland fisheries research staff and will include a total of five boat crews with one of these working at night.

The survey will provide a range of information on the fish stocks in the lake, such as size distributions of fish captured, age and growth information for all species, diet of selected species, and catch per unit effort (CPUEs) for each fish species.

It will also provide information on the status of pollan, a rare and endangered fish species. In addition, samples for genetic analyses of brown trout and pike and other species will be taken.

The survey crews will be very visible on Lough Derg over the next few weeks and all sets of nets will be marked with distinctive buoys labelled ‘IFI Survey’.

Any anglers or other lake users are asked to be vigilant if out and about on the lake over the next few weeks and to avoid snagging in the nets.

For more information see the Lough Derg survey FAQ on the IFI website HERE.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has announced its intention to phase out its fish farming operations over the coming years. A plan will now be developed to implement this decision.

The IFI Board, having reviewed the fish farm operations from both the technical and resource allocation perspectives, has chosen this course of action to ensure that IFI can deliver on its core remit of conservation, protection and development.

IFI management met with the small number of staff who are directly involved in fish farming operations last week to inform them of the decision and has given assurances that there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of this move and that their employment with IFI will continue.

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “IFI has performed a technical and financial review of its fish farming operations. Reduced resources within the organisation do not allow for the continuation of these aquaculture activities in the medium to long-term. The Board has no alternative but to phase out this element of its work and concentrate on the conservation, protection and development of Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea angling resources.

“IFI appreciates that many state and club waters have been stocked from IFI fish farms over many decades. We acknowledge the support of IFI’s customers and regret the organisation is unable to continue supporting fish stocking in this manner. The phase out plan will include consultation with affected stakeholders.”

#Angling - The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) is undertaking research on the socio-economics of inland fisheries within Ireland, with the objective of providing evidence that will support policy decisions regarding the management of fisheries resources and angling within Ireland.

As part of that work they are currently establishing an angler survey panel. Members of the angler panel will be invited to participate in occasional short surveys to elicit their views on various topics.

The ESRI's research programme on the socio-economics of inland fisheries is financially supported by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The data and information collected will only be used for research purposes by the ESRI, will not be shared with IFI or other organisations and will only be accessible to the researchers undertaking the analysis strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 & 2003.

Only research reports and papers, which contain aggregated summary analysis, will be provided to policy decision makers, including IFI. The ESRI will make its research papers publicly available for free from its website.

To become a member of the panel, sign up via the ESRI website HERE – it should take less than a minute.

For further information about the angler panel or the research programme, contact programme lead John Curtis at [email protected]

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched a report on a scientific survey of adult fish stocks in Lough Ree. The report details the findings of a fish stock assessment of the lake undertaken in 2014 to establish the status quo of all fish stocks, with particular reference to the brown trout population.

The assessment was the first time such a large scale extensive survey was undertaken on the lake. As part of the survey, brown trout genetic samples were collected and will feed into the greater Mid Shannon Brown Trout Genetics Study, currently underway in a partnership project between IFI and Queen’s University Belfast. The survey also provided valuable ecological information in relation to the status of invasive species such as zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea).

The survey, which was carried out over a two-week period in spring 2014, recorded eight fish species and a number of coarse fish hybrids. Roach were the dominant species with good numbers of roach/bream hybrids also noted. Other fish species present were perch, bream, pike, brown trout, rudd, pollan and tench. Pollan are a listed protected fish species on Annex V of the EU Habitats Directive and Lough Ree is only one of five lakes throughout the country that they are found in.

Dr Cathal Gallagher, Head of Research and Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “During the Lough Ree survey, eight fish species and a number of coarse fish hybrids were recorded. Almost 52 per cent of all fish noted during the survey were roach, 21 per cent roach/bream hybrids and 16 per cent were perch with significantly smaller numbers of bream, pike, trout, rudd and pollan making up the balance. The information provided from this survey will prove very useful in the context of conserving, managing and protecting such an important mixed stock fishery.”

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, commented: “Currently Lough Ree can be regarded as one of Ireland’s premier mixed fisheries. Mixed, in this instance, is a reference to three different fish stocks – cyprinid, pike and trout stocks. The status of all of these fish populations is such that, presently, each of them can provide quality angling on a seasonal basis.”

The Lough Ree survey report is available here