Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has secured a conviction against a man for illegally netting salmon on the River Nore.
Francis Kennedy of Oaklawns, Paulstown, Co Kilkenny was accused of unlawfully capturing salmon at a catch-and-release fishery on 30 June this year.
Kennedy was found to have two wild Atlantic salmon in his possession when searched at his car at Clonamery, Co Kilkenny.
Kennedy was fined €300 and instructed to pay €400 in legal costs to IFI.
The case was heard at Kilkenny District Court on 22 October.
Commenting, Lynda Connor, South-Eastern regional director at IFI said: “I commend our fisheries officers’ perseverance and continuous commitment to protecting the State’s endangered natural resources.
“This conviction highlights the ongoing issue of illegal netting for salmon, and IFI’s zero tolerance of this behaviour.
“Wild salmon numbers returning to Ireland have declined from approximately 1.76 million in 1975 to 171,700 in 2022. This is a catastrophic decrease in less than one generation.”
