Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Inland Fisheries Ireland: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications

Photo of Jennifer WhitmoreJennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will follow on from Senator Dooley's questions. Is conflict so intrinsic to the role of IFI, as an entity, that there will always be problems when it comes to its governance? For example, under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, the functions of IFI are to promote, support, facilitate and advise the Minister on the conservation, protection and management of inland fisheries and to encourage and develop angling for salmon, trout, coarse fish and sea fish. On the one hand, IFI is meant to be protecting and conserving our fish stocks and resources while, on the other hand, its role is to promote angling. There is an intrinsic conflict between those two functions, particularly in light of the biodiversity and climate change crises we are facing as well as all those external pressures. The management of our inland fisheries will become increasingly difficult, especially when the body is expected to engage in conservation while promoting angling. Is that the issue? Will the review the Minister has called for get to the crux of the issue as to whether the legislation around inland fisheries is fit for purpose in light of the current environment?

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