Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Management of the wild salmon fishery is rarely a simple and straightforward matter. It is the Government's long-held view that our wild salmon stock is a national asset which must be conserved and protected, as well as being exploited as a resource by all on a shared and sustainable basis.

While there remains an abundance of salmon returning to Irish rivers, the Government has accepted the scientific advice that reductions in the overall fishing effort are required to sustain and rebuild salmon stocks nationwide. For this reason, current Government policy has been designed to bring spawning escapement up to the level of the scientifically advised conservation limits as soon as possible. In keeping with this policy, when setting the commercial salmon quotas for the 2005 season, I gave a firm commitment to fully align the exploitation of salmon, both at national and district levels, on the scientific advice by 2007.

I have asked the new national salmon commission to advise how best the alignment of exploitation of salmon with the scientific advice can be implemented by 2007, bearing in mind the requirement to ensure the future biological viability of the salmon resource in all catchments and also the needs of all stakeholders, including those who derive their income from the wild salmon resource.

A move to single-stock management of the wild salmon fishery would take time and significant additional resources. This could not be achieved without further and considerable scientific input, infrastructural investment and planning. The impact of such a move would have to be fully examined and understood before its introduction. I expect the national salmon commission along with the relevant State agencies to examine the prospects for single-stock management within the Irish fishery and to advise me in this regard.

I can assure Deputy Eamon Ryan that I will examine carefully all recommendations, including those relevant to single-stock management, made by the national salmon commission.

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