#Angling - The Minister of State for Natural Resources has said the unchanged cost of fishing licences this year should encourage angling tourism in Ireland.

Commenting Thursday on his approval of the new regulations and by-laws for Ireland's wild salmon fishery which came into force on 1 January, Minister Fergus O'Dowd said: "Last year I lowered the cost of fishing licences and I have decided to maintain that price cut for 2013.

"I am anxious that lower costs will encourage sales of annual licences and incentivise angling tourists to avail of the Ireland’s first-class angling product."

Last week Afloat.ie reported that the Irish Times' angling correspondent Derek Evans welcomed the regulation changes for the start of this year's salmon season.

In an update to previously reported figures, conservation measures for this year involve the closure of 58 rivers due to a lack of surplus fish, down from 64 closures in 2012, while 62 rivers are open for fishing in what marks a significant rise on last year.

"This will provide opportunities for commercial fishermen and anglers to share this important resource on a sustainable basis," the minister commented.

Additionally, the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme regulations are "in essence unchanged" from last year.

#Angling - The Irish Times' angling correspondent Derek Evans welcomes the start of the salmon angling season tomorrow with a look at regulation changes for 2013.

Among them he notes that the number of open fisheries has risen to 55, while 59 rivers - five fewer than last year - will be closed, which marks some progress in Inland Fisheries Ireland's (IFI) efforts to ensure sustainability of Ireland's freshwater fish stocks.

Meanwhile, the catch and release programme has been modified to encompass the River Liffey from Islandbridge to Leixlip Dam for the first time, although at 32 the scheme includes two fewer rivers than last year.

"Catch and release will maintain, among other things, club membership interest and ensure a good footfall on the riverbank," writes Evans.

"Provided catch and release protocols are practised correctly, research has shown that the survival rate can be close to 100 per cent."

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#Angling - The Atlantic Salmon Trust will team with IBIS (Integrated Aquatic Resources Management Between Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland) to host a major conference at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow on 27-28 November 2013.

Leading speakers will be invited to discuss all aspects of salmon stocking at the conference, titled 'Boosting salmon numbers: is stocking the answer or the problem?'

Over two days, the conference will examine in depth the potential role of stocking in restoring, sustaining and enhancing salmon populations and fisheries.

In a statement, IBIS said: "We are bringing together experts on salmon science and management - including those with direct experience of stocking - to join with anglers and fishery managers in exploring the potential for salmon stocking, including its effectiveness and risks.

"We'll look at such issues as: How does stocking affect numbers of returning adults? Is it cost effective? What is the role of genetics and climate change?
The presentations will range from the underlying science to case studies and examples of best practice."

The conference is fully financially supported by IBIS. Attendees will only be asked to pay for their own travel and hotel costs, and the conference dinner if attending.

Full details of agenda, speakers and how to register will be available in the New Year by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

#Angling - Connacht hopes to encourage more women sea anglers to compete for the province at All-Ireland level, as the Mayo Advertiser reports.

The Connaught Council of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers (IFSA) wants to field a full team for the All-Ireland Ladies Interprovincial Shore Angling Championships in February.

To this end, it plans to provide greater support and resources for female anglers in the west, and is open to welcoming women of all levels and experience into the fold.

“If you are not already part of a club, the first step is to become a member, said Connaught Council team manager Brian Reidy. "These clubs are social, fun, and provide great support for novice anglers."

The Mayo Advertiser has more on the story HERE.

#Angling - Judgement in the first module of a High Court trial over a long-running dispute between Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and local anglers at the Gweebarra fishery has been found in favour of the fisheries agency.

Ms Justice Laffoy delivered her judgement on Wednesday 19 November in the first part of a modular trial sought by IFI "to allow key issues to be determined in this first module with the objective of saving court time and costs".

The first module related to what IFI said are the most important sections of the Donegal fishery (both State and privately owned) that it manages - such as the well-known 'Mayo Pool'.

A key claim by defendants Peadar O'Baoill and others - who are opposed to changes in fishing arrangements introduced by IFI (then the Northern Regional Fisheries Board) in 2007 - was that they had acquired rights to fish freely without permits at the Gweebarra fishery by virtue of angling freely there for many years prior to the regulation changes five years ago.

IFI argued that if such rights were upheld, it would have made the 2007 arrangements "unworkable" as the rod management plan central to the changes was dependent on regulation by issue of permits.

However Ms Justice Laffoy rejected the defendants' claim in this regard, saying: “The reality is that the defendants have not established any right, public, or otherwise, to fish in the freshwater part of the Gweebarra River, including the part thereof the subject of this module.”

The court also determined conclusively that IFI has the right to manage, control and regulate both the State-owned and privately held freshwater sections of the Gweebarra fishery.

In her concluding remarks, the judge urged both parties to resolve their remaining dispute locally and out of court.

Commenting after the trial, IFI repeated its "previously stated position that it has absolutely no wish to be involved in proceedings of this nature and remains committed to the protection of the Gweebarra fishery in its entirety, the public portion of which is a state asset.

"It welcomes any initiative which will allow for sustainable management of the fishery into the future. It is happy therefore to seek to resolve the remainder of the dispute, but such would have to be found in the context of existing legal agreements with other stakeholders."

#MCIB - The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has again advised recreational boat users to prioritise safety while on the water following the death of an angler on Lough Corrib earlier this year.

Clarifying the story previously reported on Afloat.ie, Michael Ruane died by drowning after he and angling partner Donal Coyle were knocked overboard from their small craft when it heeled over on a large wave off Annaghdown on 19 March 2012.

Coyle was treated for hypothermia after an unsuccessful attempt to search for his colleague, whose body was recovered by the Irish Coast Guard more than two hours after he entered the water.

The MCIB report into the incident found that the revolving seat used by one of the two men on board meant that "both his height above the gunwale and his position right forward may have had an influence on the handling and stability of the boat", which was not compliant with the EU Recreational Craft Directive.

It also found that while both were wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs), they were only loosely fitting - explaining why Ruane became separated from his lifejacket shortly after going overboard.

Moreover, the kill cord on the boat's engine was not used by either man, which caused them to be separated from their vessel. "The consequence of this," the report said, "was a long period of immersion in cold water which led to the death of one of the men and hypothermia of the other".

There was also a delay of more than an hour in raising the alarm as the men in the water had no means to indicate their distress. Coyle had a mobile phone but it was rendered useless by immersion.

The MCIB has recommended that owners and operators of recreational craft should be aware and follow the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s (DTTAS) Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft. The complete report is available to download below.

Meanwhile, problems with the auto-pilot system were judged to be the trigger of events that caused the scuttling of fishing vessel Jeannete Roberta in Glandore Harbour last December.

The prawn boat was returning to port on 11 December 2011 when the skipper had difficulty switching the helm from auto-pilot to manual due to a known issue with "sticky solenoids".

While the skipper addressed that issue, the boat suddenly altered course without warning - another issue known to occur randomly - and was holed on rocks on the southern side of Adam's Island before eventually sinking.

While castigating the owner/skipper for continuing to sail the vessel with persistent navigation issues, the MCIB also noted that all six crew survived the incident uninjured, finding that all stayed calm and organised as they abandoned ship, and that all safety and communications equipment functioned as required.

#Angling - The day in 1935 when an American dentist was astounded by a Connemara gillie's way with the local salmon is just one of the 67 anecdotes contained within Fishing’s Strangest Days.

As Derek Evans highlights in his latest Angling Notes column in The Irish Times, Tom Quinn's book is "full of extraordinary but true stories from more than 200 years of angling history".

From dead-sheep bait to whopper-sized catches, intoxicated trout and flying pike, the latest edition of Quinn's collection compiles the choicest gems of bizarre fishing facts. 

The publisher's blurb says it all: "Consider the Oxford scientist who in 1910 discovered the marvellous life-giving properties of brandy to fish who had otherwise gasped their last. Or how about the nine-year-old boy fishing for trout who caught a large mussel—containing no less than 40 pearls—and managed to earn more in one day than his father, a farm worker, had earned in the last five years.

"Then there’s the case of the two Americans who had an argument about whether it would be possible to cast a fly from the roof of the Savoy hotel into the Thames. The dispute was finally settled when one of them secured himself to a chimney, and, with the help of a policeman who stopped traffic on the Embankment, finally achieved the feat."

Fishing's Strangest Days is "like a tin of sardines - packed with fishy, bitesize tales guaranteed to have you hooked!" Published by Portico, an imprint of Anova Books, it's available in all good bookshops priced at €14.50.

#Angling - BBC News reports that the Northern Ireland angling charity that lost equipment after their storage facility was burgled has received an "outpouring of generosity" from the local community.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the storage container used by Angling First outside Dromore in Co Down was found forced open last Wednesday.

Sixty fishing rods and other equipment worth more than £600 (€745) were taken in the theft.

But the Northern Ireland community has since rallied to the charity's aid - with Sport Minister Carál Ní Chuilín presenting a number of fishing rods seized in raids on illegal fishing, and the David Prentice car dealership in Portadown donating funds to cover the cost of replacing the stolen gear.

"I'm now standing here today and I'm able to continue thanks to people like David Prentice and the minister intervening," said Angling First's Mark McGivern.

#FishFarm - A group opposed to the Galway Bay deep-sea salmon farm proposals has announced it will protest the constituency office of Marine Minister Simon Coveney this Saturday 15 December.

In a statement to the media, No Salmon Farms At Sea (NSFAS) said that it will join likeminded groups Save Bantry Bay, Save Galway Bay, FISSTA and Friends of the Irish Environment, along with other local and national organisations, in a protest march through Carrigaline, Co Cork to Minister Coveney's office in the town, where invited speakers will address the crowd to express their opposition to the fish farm.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the 15,000-tonne deep-sea organic salmon farm would be located on a 500-hectare site in Galway Bay off Inis Oirr in the Aran Islands, and would be one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe, projected to be worth more than €100 million annually for the economy, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

But the proposals have raised the ire of local anglers and conservationists who fear the development could have a negative impact on wild salmon numbers in the area.

"Minister Coveney has been a strong supporter of the aquaculture industry and we intend to let him know that his support is misguided and will result in catastrophe not only for our stocks of wild atlantic salmon and sea trout, but also for the communities and local businesses that depend on their very existence," said NSFAS.

The statement also cited the recent international study involving experts from Inland Fisheries Ireland which concluded that 39% of all young salmon mortalities are directly attributable to sea lice in areas where salmon farming takes place.

It added: "The highly inflated number of jobs, which BIM claim will be created, will be far outweighed by the number of jobs lost in areas where no other industry exists apart from that in tourism...

We have a world class sport fishery here in Ireland and our outwardly projected clean environment is one of our greatest assets. However it is fragile and will be destroyed if the salmon farming industry is developed further.

"Anglers and conservationists will do everything in their power to prevent any further destruction to our environment and already declining wild salmon and sea trout stocks."

Meanwhile, in today's Irish Times, angling correspondent Derek Evans writes that "anglers, stakeholders, hoteliers, restaurateurs, islanders and west coast citizens are 'up in arms' and rallying in large numbers in opposition" to what he describes as "this outrageous proposal".

He also backtracked on his previous claim about the location of the deep-sea farm as "a step in the right direction", explaining that he was contacted by a man living on Inis Oirr who said the location for the new fish farm is just "one land mile" opposite the beach, posing a threat to its tourism assets.

The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.

#Angling - Sixty fishing rods were among items taken in a break-in at an angling charity's storage facility in Co Down, as BBC News reports.

Angling First - which says it has taught fishing skills to 2,000 children from disadvantaged areas across Northern Ireland - discovered the theft on Wednesday morning.

The shipping container outside Dromore where the charity keeps its equipment was found forced open, and items worth more than £600 (€745) were stolen.

In a statement, the PSNI said that the burglary occurred some time between Sunday 2 and Wednesday 5 December.

The charity's Mark McGivern told BBC News: "It makes you feel sick, it's probably been someone who has come to our pond, but they won't deter me from continuing."