Seán Canney T.D., Minister with responsibility for the Inland Fisheries sector has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon and sea trout fisheries in 2019. These will come into effect from Tuesday 1 January 2019.
Minister Canney said, “In all, 84 rivers will open for angling activity in 2019 and this will provide opportunities for all to share this important natural resource on a sustainable basis. 42 of these rivers will be fully open with a further 42 for angling on a “catch & release” basis.”
Minister Canney received management advice in relation to over 140 genetically individual wild salmon stocks in Ireland from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in 2019. This advice was also made available as part of a statutory public consultation process during which over 120 written submissions from stakeholders were received. The management advice is based on the scientific assessment of the current status of all stocks carried out by the independent Standing Scientific Committee on Salmon. This committee comprises scientists from a range of organisations.
Management advice based on the Independent Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon (SSCS) assessment of rivers/estuaries/harbours is that:-
- 42 rivers to be open as a surplus of fish has been identified in these rivers;
- 42 rivers to be classified as open for “catch and release” angling; and
- 62 rivers to be closed as they have no surplus of fish available for harvest.
Minister Canney said, “2019 is the International Year of the Salmon and it is vital, now more than ever that we protect our valuable fisheries resource as environmental change and human impacts are placing salmon and other species at risk. This is a global initiative which will bring people together to share knowledge, raise awareness and take action on how we can ensure the resilience of salmon in Ireland and in the entire Northern Hemisphere”. “Ireland places the conservation imperative at the heart of our salmon management and I am committed to leading our participation in IYS”, he added
During International Year of the Salmon, Inland Fisheries Ireland will introduce a commemorative salmon licence which will include updated information for anglers on catch & release angling
