Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I agree with Deputy Deenihan's proposal. When I attended a meeting of anglers in Athy yesterday, those present expressed major concern that many of the English angling clubs which used to come to their part of the country each year were no longer doing so because there was a scarcity of fish in the rivers in the south Kildare area. The two representatives of the Southern Regional Fisheries Board who attended the meeting said the board was not getting enough funding from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to provide the necessary protection, etc. A major tourist attraction in my local area is suffering because the Department is not committed to its development. It is obvious that tourists are suffering as a result. I mention this case to highlight the need for interdepartmental resolve to ensure every aspect of the tourism industry is supported. I ask the Minister to talk to his colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, about the many problems being faced by those involved in the coarse fishing sector, in particular. Many international magazines are reporting that Ireland is not as attractive an angling destination, especially for those interested in coarse fishing, as it used to be. Such factors are having a detrimental effect on the progress being made with this part of the tourism industry.

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