John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I want to bring to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, my concern about the proposal by Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, to close the Cong salmon hatchery at Cong on Lough Corrib. I cannot get clarity as to whether a decision has been made, or is due or pending. This concern has been brought to me by angling groups, in particular, but also by groups that advocate for the conservation of salmon on the Corrib and by tourism stakeholders. Many of the anglers who have visited my constituency office recently have fished at the salmon weir in Galway for many years. Generations of Galwegians have fished at the weir for years. It is a tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. They have told me they are concerned about the future of what has been a traditional pursuit for many people. Galway and the Corrib have been famous for the quantity of salmon available to be fished by locals and tourists alike.

The Minister of State will be familiar with the salmon weir in Galway; I think most people are. People have fished it for generations, but the concern now is that the stocks are at a low level. Anglers advise me that this has been a particularly bad year, unfortunately. The decision of IFI to close the hatchery at Cong will exacerbate this and will hasten the end of their pursuit. It is of great concern. There has been a notable decline in salmon stocks on Lough Corrib over the past 50 years. The causes of this decline, of course, are complex. It is difficult to pin it on one particular issue. The decision to close the hatchery is not something that will ameliorate this; in fact, it will make it worse. I understand that the Cong hatchery is the only IFI facility that produces salmon smolts. In 2016, IFI decided that not only was it not going to close the hatchery at Cong but also that it saw it as something that would be an upgraded facility for research. That is part of the issue here because, disappointingly, IFI is now alleging that it is no longer required as a research facility, while also ignoring its use for social activities and the tourism industry. The hatchery helps to ensure there is an adequate level of salmon in the Corrib for locals and tourists alike. The decision to close the hatchery will undoubtedly make things worse. It will undoubtedly reduce the numbers. There is no evidence whatsoever to say that closing the hatchery will enhance the Corrib salmon. I ask the Minister of State to engage with IFI on the issue, to prevent the closure of the hatchery, and to plead for the local anglers and others who come to Galway to enjoy the Corrib for fishing pursuits.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this issue. I know of his great interest in the angling sector. He is passionate about this issue and it is very close to his heart. He has had a number of discussions with me about angling, generally. I must begin by putting on the record that operational matters such as this are the preserve of IFI. I have no direct capacity to force it to do anything other than follow its duties. It does not fall to the Minister in this regard. I have been in discussion with IFI to try to understand more fully and clearly what the issue is. I understand that in July of this year, IFI notified the Department that a board decision had been taken to cease the operations of the Cong salmon hatchery in north Galway. The hatchery is a complex of buildings, ponds and a rearing station owned and operated by IFI. For many years, the hatchery has produced salmon smolts for release into the Corrib and Erriff catchments, initially to address declining stocks, as the Deputy identified, following a disease outbreak, and later to support research around salmon return rates and sea lice, and angling for Atlantic salmon.

Together with officials, I have liaised with IFI on the decision to close the Cong salmon hatchery. IFI has indicated to me that it no longer has any requirement for access to what it refers to as ranched smolts. Moreover, and I think this is the important piece, there are some scientific concerns regarding the impact of ranched salmon being released into a special area of conservation and the potential negative impact on wild populations of Atlantic salmon. There is no longer a research requirement within IFI to produce smolts. According to international evidence-based guidelines from the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, NASCO, there is no conservation basis for the farmed production of smolts, given the status of wild salmon populations in the Corrib and Erriff catchments. It follows that there is no benefit to wild salmon populations from the release of ranched smolts into those systems.

The presence of ranched fish can result in interbreeding with wild salmon, which are genetically unique to each system. This has a range of well-known risks to the wild stock as outlined by NASCO, which has advised:

Risks associated with stocking have been well documented and largely result from the relaxation of natural selection and the impacts of domestication leading to maladaptation and reduced individual fitness. In some cases, stocking has been linked to declines in wild population productivity and reduced wild fish individual fitness.

The scientifically accepted view indicates that human interference in the mating selection has the risk of affecting the fitness of the offspring. Both the Erriff and Corrib catchments have sizeable stocks of wild salmon to meet their natural reproductive capacity and do not require supplementation with the hatchery stock.

Research advice details that the Corrib wild Atlantic salmon stock was assessed as being above its conservation limit in all years since 2007, as has the Erriff, with the exception of 2025, when it was assessed as marginally below that limit. On the basis of international best practice, as reflected in the NASCO guidelines, salmon ranching was therefore not advised in either catchment to supplement the wild salmon populations. Even for degraded wild populations, stocking of ranched smolts from hatcheries in general is not advised in rivers where the wild stock has the potential to naturally rehabilitate.

A decision was sought from the board of IFI as to the continued production of smolts from 2026 onwards. At its meeting on 30 June, the board, in consideration of all the facts outlined, took the decision to cease production of ranched salmon smolts at Cong hatchery and their release into the Erriff and Corrib catchments. Returning adult ranched salmon shall continue to be removed and recorded for several more years until returns cease for the Erriff and Corrib catchments. Clearly, this stands as an evidence-based decision on the part of IFI, carrying out due diligence across scientific, environmental and conservation grounds. I trust the Deputy will appreciate the rationale based on those decisions. It is a complex issue which anglers are not entirely happy with. I have to put on record the basis for it.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. There is an independence to the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland. I recognise that the Minister of State is being prudent in not interfering in its decision-making processes. I do not have the scientific background required to challenge some of the content of the response. Nevertheless, there are a number of things I note. This hatchery has been in place since before 2016, and possibly before that. I am not sure of the foundation date. It is not recently that the Corrib has become a special area of conservation. It has been one for some time. I imagine that consideration was previously given to whether this would have an impact on that SAC and whether the activities of the hatchery would have been a negative in terms of the conservation of the salmon population in Lough Corrib. However, I am not sure about that.

I have been made aware by people who frequent the Corrib that Cong hatchery brood stocks are indigenous Corrib salmon. This suggests that the evidence IFI is putting forward regarding the risk to wild stocks is limited. I am not sure whether it stands up. I am not sure there is interbreeding with different species of wild salmon. The hatchery produces indigenous Corrib salmon. Correspondence from IFI states that the stock levels meet its objectives, but that is not the sentiment among anglers. They have been angling on the Corrib for generations. Stocks are declining. The hatchery was one conservation measure that maintained the stock. It seems this decision was made by IFI without consultation with local anglers. Those anglers take great pride in their pursuit and in the natural facility of the Corrib. They would not do anything to harm the stock of salmon or the natural environment of the Corrib. I ask that IFI engage with local anglers on the issue.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the anglers' perspective, but IFI is charged with the conservation of the Atlantic salmon stock. It is conscious of the protection and preservation of that species in all its forms. There is a concern that once the stock is above the conservation limit, it is not justified. At the time it was there before the conservation limit was under pressure, there was also an exercise in trying to understand the patterns of return. That was a separate project which is no longer relevant from IFI's perspective. Knowing his interest in this area, I will ask IFI officials to meet the Deputy and share with him all the details and data in order that he can understand the reasons behind this.

I recognise that anglers are an important part of the ecosystem relating to our fisheries. In virtually all cases, they are the custodians of the waterways. They act to preserve and protect that resource in a respectful way. I met some of the anglers from the Corrib. I think I was due to meet them this week but due to other events meetings had to be postponed. I am happy to have ongoing dialogue with them. The Deputy fed into the provision in the programme for Government about the protection and preservation of the salmon stocks in the Corrib region. I look forward to ongoing dialogue with him. My office will be in touch in relation to setting up a meeting with IFI.