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

I will again go local and refer to the Senator's own city. The River Corrib is one of the great rivers and Lough Corrib is one of the great lakes. It is more of a trout lake than a salmon lake but the River Corrib is open. Some 4,139 tags may be issued, just to give an indication of numbers. You will see fishermen at the site by Salmon Weir Bridge. They are there for a reason.

The Senator is right. We need much more deep and dense analysis of what is happening in the likes of the great lakes so that we can manage them better. There is a lot of controversy in this area. There are all sorts of different views and opinions with regard to pike versus trout and perch and the issues around invasive species. The ecology is highly complex. It is of great importance that we manage and monitor the great lakes.

To help with that, there is a series of papers and policy initiatives coming from the Department. Within a number of weeks, we expect a policy paper on water quality and climate. We will forward that to the committee. We also expect a further paper on the whole issue of aquaculture and the protection of our marine, lake and salmonoid environments. There will also be a policy paper on the management options for salmon, which will go to consultation this year. There are a number of different critical policy initiatives coming. We will share all of them with the committee straight away. We look forward to engaging on them.