Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately, the ban did not have the anticipated impact and certainly not what was spoken of at the time. We have had a difficult decade but there are signs over the past year or two that figures are improving. It is hard to know the exact cause, although there has been speculation on whether it could be global warming, sea lice or supertrawlers. We do not know. We are part of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, NASCO, area, which is an international committee that collaborates and works to protect the fisheries.

We have a scientifically managed salmon fishery. Salmon numbers are either counted or an assessment is taken of fry and redds. It is internationally accepted that we use the best expertise we have to try to measure salmon stocks. We have a conservation limit and if that is reached, the river can be open or closed or under catch and release. It is very much a scientific basis for the 147 rivers, or sections of rivers, and estuaries. The number of salmon that return in comparison to the smolts that leave our river system has been a worrying trend for some time. There is, anecdotally, a view that circumstances have improved in the past year or so and they are positive for the coming year as well. We will publish the figures for this year in the next month or so with a view to making recommendations for next year on whether rivers will be open, closed or catch and release.