Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Whitmore. We need to pay more attention to the significance of inland fisheries. They are very much a barometer of how we are performing in environmental terms because without pristine rivers and water, we will not get salmonid species and related birdlife and other systems. It is also important in the sense of providing a connection to nature for many people that is hugely significant. In its own right, inland fisheries are a key ecosystem. Inland Fisheries Ireland has a critical role in protecting and developing them. I hope the comprehensive policy framework review I mentioned will help us increase the budget for inland fisheries and set out much more ambitious policy measures.

That roadmap was launched in January this year. The wording I used in my opening statement is that it "set out the next stages in this policy development, which will involve stakeholders in reimagining our relationship with this national resource." The issue is a key priority in my mind and I always think it is probably one of the most interesting issues in my Department. I fixate on the salmon numbers each year and what is happening in our rivers system and the wider world.