Freshwater lakes, rivers and their aquatic communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to water abstractions and the impact of climate change.

That is according to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) who issued a call this week to encourage future development planning applications to consider the impact of water abstractions from Ireland’s rivers, lakes and fish species.

Water level fluctuations caused by numerous pressures, including abstractions, can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and consequently, the services they provide to the local economy and to aquatic biodiversity.

Higher water temperatures as a result of climate change are also said to have an impact on the natural water cycles of our rivers and lakes, causing thermal regimes in lakes and rivers to change. This results in a reduction in wetted area and a decrease in suitable habitat for fish and other aquatic communities during droughts.

IFI is cautioning that changes in the flow or abstraction of water in a catchment can be extremely harmful to migratory fish species such as salmon, sea trout and eel, which are already stressed as a result of climate change.

Such adverse conditions can reduce the success of fish migration and demonstrate how vulnerable these species are to changing climatic conditions and other pressures.

Francis O’Donnell, chief executive of IFI said: “It is imperative that we ensure where possible, all water resources are managed sustainably to protect our natural resources. This involves making sure that river flows and lake levels can sustain aquatic environments and biota while also allowing the use of water for drinking water supply and other purposes such as agricultural, commercial, industrial and recreational use.

“IFI strongly advises that the impacts of climate change should be considered in all planning applications for developments that affect the natural hydrological water cycle and the wider aquatic community. IFI has a statutory responsibility to protect salmonids and other freshwater fish species including eels and this will remain our first priority.”

Dr Cathal Gallagher, head of research at IFI added: “IFI’s Climate Change Mitigation Research Programme was set up in 2019 to assess the impact of climate change on Ireland’s fish and habitats. The ongoing research is already identifying areas in catchments where fish species and habitats are most under threat, but also areas that are showing resilience to climate change. It is important that we work together to safeguard the future of our natural resources.”

For more information visit IFI’s Climate Change Mitigation Research programme HERE.

This Thursday 2 March, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in Waterford is hosting a workshop with a twist — to play a serious game called DiadESland, about managing diadromous fish species.

DiadESland is an interactive role-playing engagement tool developed through the Interreg DiadES project. It gives stakeholders and managers an opportunity to discuss the impact of climate change on migratory fish, rivers and catchments through an imaginary environment.

Participants will team up and play the role of catchment managers, making management decisions to achieve a set of goals for their catchment.

It is an excellent opportunity for networking in an informal setting but with an important objective: to discuss the serious issues facing diadromous fish species in the context of climate change.

This session will also allow IFI to discuss future strategies and management recommendations.

EU Interreg AA funding allows for providing players with a fully catered workshop, and travel costs will be refunded (as required).

There is no requirement for expertise in fish or fish management to play the game and all sectors involved with fish management or commercialisation are warmly invited.

Register your interest on the IFI website HERE.

Senator Victor Boyhan has called for Minister Eamon Ryan to make a Statement on the Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) 'Organisation in Crisis.'

Speaking in the Seanad this morning Senator Victor Boyhan said serious questions have to be asked and answered about the corporate governance and oversight of the IFI.

As Afloat reported earlier, Inland Fisheries Ireland Board has been dissolved after resignations left it without a quorum. 

IFI enforces fisheries legislation, sets conservation limits for salmon and sea trout fisheries and issues fishing licenses and permits.

Boyhan acknowledged that in a previous contribution to the Seanad (November 2022) that Senator Sean Kyne had raised a red flag about the IFI.

Boyhan said, “I would, however, stop short in saying that the IFI organisation is ‘rotten and corrupt’ until we hear the full story from all sides, and it is for that reason I am calling on Minister Ryan to come into the Seanad and make a statement and to facilitate a question and answers session on the current operational situation within IFI.

Senator Boyhan expressed concern about the five resignations from the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland and the subsequent removal of the remaining board members on a no-fault basis by Minister Eamon Ryan's Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Senator Boyhan said he was aware that there was an Oversight Agreement and Performance Delivery Agreement in place in line with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, and that there is also a Code of Business conduct for the Board of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

“So, the questions have to be asked and answered around responsibility, accountability, allocation of budgets and resources and personnel. It is also important that issues around integrity, transparency, public concern and loss of confidence are addressed by the Minister”.

“The issue of potential conflicts of interest, whether actual or perceived also needs to be addressed. Boyhan said he was particularly interested to hear from the Minister that those involved in protected disclosures have been given sufficient support and assistance at this time”.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is seeking submissions in relation to a proposal to restrict the commercial salmon draft net season on the Loughros Estuary in Co Donegal in 2023 to fishing between 1 and 21 July.

The proposed changes, along the lines of last year’s consultation, are to reflect the limited overall salmon quota available for 2023 and the number of commercial draft nets available.

An overall surplus of 283 salmon has been advised for 2023 to be divided between the commercial draft net and recreational angling sectors.

The commercial draft net season for the fishery normally opens on 12 May and closes on 31 July.

Any person wishing to make observations on the proposed regulation may make submissions before 5pm on Thursday 9 March, either by email to [email protected] or to the address below:

Loughros Estuary Commercial Salmon Draft Net Fishing Season 2023 Public Consultation,
Inland Fisheries Ireland,
Station Road,
Ballyshannon,
Co Donegal,
F94 WV76

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has dismissed the remaining members of the Inland Fisheries Ireland board after multiple resignations within the past 10 months left it without quorum.

As The Journal reports, five members of the board including its chair Professor Frances Lucy have stepped down since April 2022, leaving only three remaining.

In a statement today (Tuesday 14 February), Minister Ryan announced the removal of the current IFI board “on a no-fault basis” and said he would appoint a new board “as soon as possible”.

In the meantime, local government veterans Tom Barry and Seamus Neely have been appointed “to perform the functions of IFI” pending this new board’s appointment.

This includes “the full and prompt consideration of a number of protected disclosures which are understood to have been received by IFI in recent months”, the statement added.

The Journal has more on the story HERE.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launching its recruitment drive to hire 36 seasonal fisheries officers for 2023.

Subject to funding, the six-month posts are divided across seven River Basin Districts, covering 15 counties, with recruitment getting underway immediately.

Seasonal fisheries officers will join teams over the summer months to help protect, conserve and develop fisheries resources working in and around Ireland’s lakes, rivers and coastlines.

The State agency responsible for the protection, conservation, development and promotion of freshwater fish, habitats and sea angling is looking for candidates for both protection and development roles and they will play a crucial part in the agency’s plans for 2023,

Launching the recruitment drive on Friday (3 February), IFI’s HR director Róisín Bradley said: “Our new seasonal fisheries officers will be joining us to help protect, maintain and conserve this country’s natural resources.

?As an environmental agency, enforcement, protection and development are a big focus for us. Our teams undertake over 30,000 patrols around the clock every year, including patrols by foot, e-bike, vehicle and boat. At the same time, our development teams ensure the sustainability of fisheries habitat, enabling access for this generation and for future generations.

“Our Officers working in protection will spend a lot of their time patrolling lakes, rivers and coastlines. While Officers working in development will also spend a lot of their time around lakes and rivers, as they build, repair and maintain structures. Those that enjoy being close to nature and working outdoors, in all types of weather, are likely to find these roles very appealing and rewarding.”

Applications are now open online at fisheriesireland.ie/careers. The closing date is Tuesday 21 February.

IFI says it plans to launch a second recruitment drive in the coming weeks for seasonal research assistants.

Lagan Materials Ltd in Bweeng, Mallow, Co Cork, now trading as Breedon Ireland, were convicted and fined €3,000 at Mallow District Court on Monday 9 January following a prosecution taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

The defendants did not appear before the Court and Judge Joanne Carroll expressed surprise and disappointment at their absence.

After hearing evidence from senior fisheries environmental officer Andrew Gillespie, Judge Carroll convicted the quarry operator under Section 173 (1)(d) of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 and Section 3(1) of the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977 for allowing a discharge to the Clydagh River in the townland of Carrigcleena, Bweeng, Mallow on 12 November 2021.

The Clydagh River is an important nursery habitat and tributary of the Munster Blackwater.

Convictions were also recorded and taken into consideration in relation to two further charges under Sections 171(1) and 173(1)(c) of the 1959 Act.

Sean Long, director of the South-Western River Basin District (SWRBD) at IFI welcomed the conviction, noting that salmonid habitats are incredibly sensitive and urged quarry operators to take all measures to minimise the risk of harmful discharges to waters.

He added that “while the overall level of compliance is high, fisheries environmental officers in the South-West detected 99 incidents of habitat and water quality infringement in 2022 and every incident is one too many”.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched the tender process to appoint a consultant engineer to prepare an options report for fish passage improvement works at the Annacotty Weir on the lower Mulkear River outside Limerick.

IFI is leading the Annacotty Fish Passage Project as the State agency with responsibility for fish in rivers such as the Mulkear.

The options report must consider all environmental and engineering circumstances that are present at the site, upstream and downstream of the weir.

Anyone interested in this tender is advised to register on the eTenders website to access all tender documentation including the scoping document and service requirements.

The deadline for submitting tenders is 5pm on Tuesday 14 March and can only be done via the eTenders website.

As detailed in the tender documents, the options report is to be based on several environmental and technical surveys, using a recognised decision matrix, together with a stakeholder decision matrix. The appointed consultants will then present a preferred option for fish pass improvement works at Annacotty Weir.

The consultants will also be required to attend project meetings and public consultation meetings to outline their findings to stakeholders.

Following the approval of the preferred option, the consultants will then be required to prepare design, calculations and drawings of the preferred option.

These will be sent to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the OPW (Office of Public Works) for licences and approvals.

The consultants will be required to prepare a planning application of the preferred option for Limerick City and County Council.

Subject to planning permission being granted, the consultants will be required to prepare construction drawings and tender documents for the hire of a construction company. They will also be required to assist IFI in the tender assessment process.

The consultants will then be required to oversee the construction phase of the preferred option and sign-off on the completed project.

For full details see the the eTenders website HERE.

To boost conservation efforts, anglers who wish to catch and keep wild salmon from Cork’s Lower River Lee in Cork in 2023 are advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland that ‘brown tag’ regulations are coming into force from Wednesday 1 February.

The measures are included in the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations, recently signed into law by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD.

Under brown tag regulations, an angler who wishes to ‘harvest’ a wild salmon (ie take or keep it) must attach a brown tag as well as a standard blue tag to the fish.

To help conserve stocks of wild salmon within the Lower River Lee, No 5 or Cork District, a total of 180 brown tags — 28 more than that issued in 2022 — will be available for the season and will be distributed to anglers with a 2023 rod licence through a series of online lotteries.

Up to a quarter of the available number of brown tags can be issued at one time, under the Wild Salmon and Seatrout Tagging Scheme Regulations. Therefore, 45 brown tags will be selected through the first online lottery on Friday 27 January.

Any anglers interested in entering the first draw are invited to email their request to Inland Fisheries Ireland at [email protected] from Wednesday 11 until Wednesday 25 January. Within this email, anglers must provide their name, contact address, contact telephone number and they must also quote their 2023 Salmon Licence number.

Anglers with a 2023 rod licence who are not allocated a brown tag are only permitted to fish for salmon on a ‘catch and release’ basis on the Lower River Lee, where the salmon is returned safely to the same waterbody.

Further details are available from Inland Fisheries Ireland’s website or by phoning its Macroom office on (026) 41221.

The brown tag regulations come into force on the Lower River Lee in Cork from 1 February and will remain in place until midnight on 30 September.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has announced details of its 2023 Sponsorship Programme today, with applications open until mid January.

Angling clubs, groups and associations all over Ireland are being invited to apply for sponsorship funding before the 20 January deadline.

In 2023, the €30,000 fund will have a particular focus on initiatives aimed at beginners and young anglers, as well as events that promote sustainable angling tourism in rural areas.

The sponsorship programme is one of the main funding mechanisms used by IFI, the State agency with responsibility for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitats and the promotion of recreational angling.

IFI awarded funding to 50 angling events and initiatives across the country in 2022.

These included national or international competitions and festivals that showcased Ireland’s angling resources and contribution to local economies; coaching and juvenile outreach events were also supported, to help increase participation in the sport, along with public awareness events and angling-related initiatives.

This could be your angling competition in 2023, if your club submits an application for sponsorship support before the 20 January deadline

Launching the call, Suzanne Campion of IFI said: “Understandably, COVID-19 has had a big impact on the staging of events over the last couple of years.

“As we look ahead to 2023 with greater optimism, our top priority is supporting projects and events that encourage more young people and beginners to try angling sustainably, as well as initiatives that help grow sustainable angling tourism here in Ireland, especially in rural parts of the country.

“Our teams are seeing greater levels of interest in angling, especially when you consider the associated health and wellbeing benefits of being outdoors. For example, nearly one in five Irish adults are ‘likely’ to try angling in the future, according to Amárach Research.

“In addition to supporting those who would like to go fishing for the first time, we also have a unique opportunity through the Sponsorship Programme to highlight the importance of biodiversity, conservation and sustainable angling.”

Applications for funding from the Sponsorship Programme are now invited from angling clubs, associations or any local group organising an angling initiative in 2023.

The programme will remain open for funding applications until Friday 20 January. Meanwhile, applications for equipment, staff support and biosecurity assistance can be made to IFI throughout the year.

If your club or organisation would like to apply for support from the IFI Sponsorship Programme in 2023, you can find out more on the IFI website HERE.