Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last week when I was approached by some fishermen in my county, as were other Deputies, I listened to what they had to say. It is about conservation of a very scarce resource. Looking after fisheries means conserving them to make sure they will be available to fishermen, not just now but also in the future. It is about ensuring species will continue and still exist in 100 or 1,000 years' time. I say this with respect to some of the speakers opposite.

Deputy Michael Collins talked about rivers being more polluted than ever. That is not the case. They are in a much healthier state than they were many years ago. The use of industrial pollutants and pollution caused by human and farm waste, sewage and so on are guarded against far more rigorously to conserve and protect water supplies. That has a significant impact on fish also. The Deputy says we are not allowed to fish for salmon, but that is not actually true. The fact is there is a significant number of rivers in which one can catch or catch and release, while there are others in which one cannot fish at all.

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