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

We could broaden it out. I have often considered that issue. Could the National Parks and Wildlife Service be made separate and could Inland Fisheries Ireland be integrated in some way, with reconstituted forms of the various arms of the State's environmental protection? That could be debated but I do not think it is the core of the problem here.

It is true what the Deputy said about there being a narrow focus on certain species in the ecosystem, but as she will know, salmonoid has a very good presence, which virtually all Irish rivers had until the recent deterioration of the environment. They are a good indicator of the overall health of the system. They will exist only where there are good, clean water systems and a broader management of the catchment that is conducive to a good environment. While I take the Deputy's point that it is perhaps a single focus, it is not a bad one, not just for angling reasons but because salmonoid is a good indicator of the health of our rivers and lakes.

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