Dr. Ciaran Byrne:

It is for specific places. We only have a licence for salmon and sea trout. The issue Senator Leyden raised is that the upper Shannon is ESB's private water and one pays a permit fee for that. We are probably unique in the developed world in that we do not have a licence for all the other species. That would go some way to contributing a sustainable stream of funding to developing and enhancing the resource. Currently, there is no requirement for a State licence for trout, pike, course or sea fishing. One may have a requirement for permit fishing depending on whether the waters are privately owned.