Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My two colleagues and I met with a deputation from the piscatorial society during the week. Deputy Funchion has been raising this issue for a considerable period. The society brought the issue to our attention in the interests of the salmon stocks in the river. As Deputy Funchion stated, it has sought a resolution to the issue for a considerable period with the IFI but, unfortunately, that has not yet been reached. The river has been polluted by construction material which was dumped in the vicinity of a fish pass, blocking it. As a result, fish find it difficult to get up the river, with an inevitable depletion of stocks. I have read emails in which some members of the IFI at a local level have stated they did not see the relevance of the fish pass being blocked. However, I have seen other letters that say the opposite. To resolve the issue, Ciaran Byrne, the chief executive of the IFI, must meet with the society, listen to what it has to say and see if a remedy can be found. That can happen if the political will is there.

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