Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Feighan for sharing time with me. I too want to concentrate on inland fisheries. I am not from a county with a marine tradition but one which has a very proud fishing tradition on the River Barrow, the River Slaney and other minor rivers. It was terrifying to see the report in last week's Sunday Independent which said that the Irish stocks of wild Atlantic salmon have been exposed by figures which reveal that anglers in Scotland and Iceland have enjoyed their best fishing in more than 20 years, in direct contrast to our own. The statistics are very worrying. For example, plaice caught today is a quarter of the size of that caught a century ago. Shark, swordfish, marlin and tuna have declined by 90% and there is major concern about cod. In my own constituency there is major concern about salmon. There are major concerns in Carlow about drift netting, which is having an enormous impact on inland counties like Carlow. Senator Kenneally might have a different view but from speaking to anglers in Carlow, they see major difficulties with what is happening in the south east with drift netting, which is having an impact on salmon coming up the river.

It is worth pointing out that every fisherman who comes to an area spends, on average, about €1,000 between accommodation and other associated costs. Invariably, if such fishermen catch a salmon they might throw it back into the river. They fish purely for the love of fishing and that has a major knock-on effect on a local area. We should do everything in our power to ensure that continues for many years to come.

I read a report in The Guardian which was worrying. It stated that the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution will demand that 30% of the waters around Britain be designated marine national parks. That is because it has found out that 90% of the sea beds are empty because they are over-fished six times a year. There was mention also of the coral reefs being very badly damaged, which has a major impact on the source of food for fish.

When we talk about fishing, we must not forget about inland counties with rivers which have proud traditions in fishing. We often talk about Fenit, Killybegs and so on. However, fishermen in inland counties are feeling the squeeze also and, as a result, the bed and breakfast and other tourist facilities are experiencing a severe knock-on effect as a result of over-fishing in some cases.