Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's policy on the national wild salmon resource and to comment on the findings of the report on salmon drift netting, draft netting and angling published by the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on Tuesday, 11 October. This is an important forum which allows us to have a fully informed debate on all the facts surrounding the wild salmon fishery and reflecting all perspectives, whether commercial, angling tourism and so on. It is appropriate that the debate should take place at this time.

I welcome the publication of the report and take this opportunity to again thank the joint committee, including Deputy O'Flynn and all the members, for its decision to conduct a review which has illuminated the various and wide-ranging issues surrounding the management of our important natural wild salmon resource. As part of this review, the committee held public hearings in April of this year. When addressing those hearings, I made the point that the management of this natural resource is rarely a simple and straightforward matter. I reiterated the Government's long-held view that our wild salmon stock is a national asset which must be conserved and protected, as well as being exploited as a resource on a shared and sustainable basis. I am pleased to note that the joint committee acknowledges the complexity of this issue and makes "... the unequivocal observation that its report must not be seen in terms of winners or losers and that the debate and focus of effort must be on the survival of the salmon species".

The inland fisheries sector, within which the salmon resource is managed, is characterised by a regionalised management structure with strong involvement by local interests in decision-making, complex issues of ownership, reliance on State funding and tensions between different stakeholders. Within the sector, however, there is general agreement that over-exploitation of salmon stocks poses a significant threat to the long-term sustainability of this valuable resource. Salmon habitats and stocks are under threat from a variety of adverse, environmental and water quality pressures. It is against this backdrop that the development and advancement of effective strategies to protect habitats and stocks, which attract a broad degree of consensus among stakeholders, is therefore essential.

It is the Government's strong view that our wild salmon resource is a national asset that belongs equally to all sections of our community. In striving to conserve, protect and exploit this resource, a delicate exercise is necessary to balance the needs of coastal and rural communities which depend on fishing and recreational users, including tourists. With this in mind, the Government has accepted scientific advice that reductions in the overall fishing effort are required in order to sustain and rebuild salmon stocks nationwide. For this reason, current Government policy has been designed to bring spawning escapement up to the level of these scientifically advised conservation limits.

Since 1996, the Government has introduced a range of measures to reduce fishing efforts and improve the management, protection and conservation of salmon fisheries. It is important to note these measures because a perception seems to exist that the Government has not taken any action over the past years. As part of these measures, the central and regional fisheries boards operate the wild salmon and sea trout tagging scheme, which has reduced the total allowable commercial catch of salmon from 219,619 in 2001 to a proposed total allowable catch of 139,900 for the 2005 season. This represents a reduction of greater than 36% over a four-year period. I recognise, however, that we will not be confident that a sustainable management regime is in place until catches are fully aligned with scientific advice.

In this regard, the joint committee's report makes a number of key recommendations, including a move to single stock management of the salmon fishery over a three-year period within which a voluntary compensatory scheme for commercial salmon fishermen would apply. The committee recommends that such a scheme should be funded by the State, the European Union, identified beneficiaries such as tourism and angling interests and conservation groups. Some conservation groups are prepared to make significant contributions.

With regard to the recommendation for a move to single stock management, the committee recognises this would effectively mean a cessation of drift net fishing for salmon. However, the committee also recognises that a move to single stock management will take time, cannot be achieved without further scientific input and that a realistic plan needs to be devised to enable such a move. This is an important point as such a move will also require further infrastructural investment and planning. The impact of such a move will have to be fully examined and understood before it is introduced. We should not make knee-jerk reactions but must investigate the background to the matter.

Senators will be aware that I have already given a firm commitment to aligning the exploitation of salmon with scientific advice by 2007 and that I have asked the National Salmon Commission to advise me how best to achieve this target. While I remain to be convinced that a move to single stock management will necessarily mean an end to drift net fishing in all districts, I expect the commission to examine the issue of single stock management and to advise me in this regard.

In terms of compensation issues, I welcome the committee's acknowledgement that any compensatory schemes should largely be funded by those who would be the main economic beneficiaries if more salmon returned to rivers. Should the State or others pay for the transfer of resources between sectors? I welcome the joint committee's comment that "public monies spent must have, as a primary aim, ensuring the survival of the salmon species and that this precept must be regarded as more important than any economic gain to any sector that may accrue". This recommendation is consistent with my openness, since becoming Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, to any relevant proposals whereby stakeholders benefiting from reductions in commercial catches would engage in the first instance with licence holders and indicate a willingness to address any compensation issues that might arise.

As Senators will be aware, the National Salmon Commission is a statutory body established to assist and advise me on the conservation, management, protection and development of wild salmon and sea trout resources in Ireland. The commission, which includes representatives of the commercial salmon fishing and angling sectors and other relevant stakeholders, serves as the primary forum for the consideration of salmon conservation. I attach significant importance to the role of the commission in the management of this important natural resource.

The previous salmon commission played a significant role in advising my predecessors and me on the introduction of a number of important initiatives which resulted in considerable advancements being made in terms of policies for the management of commercial salmon fisheries and recreational angling. During the past three years, we have put in place a regime of increasingly constrained quotas and fishing efforts, a mechanism to manage this on a collective basis and, most importantly, a consensus on alignment with scientific advice. These are not insignificant achievements.

Before the salmon commission was appointed, fish were largely caught at night in traditional nets, a method which put lives at risk. Of necessity, the fishing week was far longer. The introduction of monofilament nets was a significant improvement because small boats could then go more safely to sea during daylight hours. The fishing period has been reduced to four days per week over an eight-week season. While the season depends on weather, an extra day, known as a safety day, may be permitted in extenuating circumstances.

When we set the commercial salmon quotas for the 2005 season, I accepted the outgoing commission's recommendation and gave a commitment to align the exploitation of salmon at national and district level with scientific advice by 2007. The next two years will therefore be important to the management of wild fisheries. When I accepted the commissions figure of 139,900 fish earlier this year, a three-year strategy was already in place to achieve these levels. All stakeholders were involved with the National Salmon Commission. The advice presented to me, which took into consideration socio-economic factors and rural development, was no different to that given in the past. However, I have been vilified in terms of this issue for some reason. It would take a month to read every e-mail I received from Ireland and abroad on the matter.

I wish the House to know that the advice presented to me was a result of a three-year strategy. Partnership, which is the foundation stone of this country, was the basis for the arrangement by which stakeholders gave me their advice. Scientific advice was received and the methodology changed at the last minute. I am pleased, therefore, to have this opportunity to outline to Senators the facts of the case because, as all politicians are aware, perception can be quite dangerous.

The National Salmon Commission has a vital role to play in advising me on how best this alignment can be implemented and in bringing together the relevant stakeholders to ensure agreement on the measures to be adopted to aid the recovery of stocks. To assist in this task, I have provided specific terms of reference to the commission which require it to consider what conservation management mechanisms might be required to achieve the alignment by March 2007 and, in doing so, to propose how an objective balance among competing interests in the salmon fishery may be obtained within the framework of conservation and management mechanisms as necessary. The terms of reference require the commission to engage as appropriate in a proactive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and to evaluate any proposals they may have taking account of the conservation, management, protection, enhancement and development of the national salmon resource.

The commission must ensure that any recommendations that may be made in regard to any compensatory measure must be predicated on the basis that the State will not contribute to any funding that may be required for any measures that may be recommended, unless a public good is identified that is justified and, more importantly, quantified.

In addition to the Oireachtas joint committee report on salmon, I received a number of reports and papers in recent months relating to the wild salmon resource, which I welcome and which are relevant to the deliberations and work of the new commission under the terms of reference now in place. It was suggested to me in the other House that a national salmon commission be established comprising all the stakeholders but that I am the person who must make a decision on this matter. I have no difficulty in doing that when I get recommendations. It would be an insult to all those representing the various stakeholders if I were to make a decision without recourse to their recommendations or without giving them an opportunity to study all relevant policy documents and papers, not least the report from the Oireachtas joint committee, presented to them.

I refer to the publication, Our Marine Salmon Fishery — Sustainable Vision for the Future, released by the south-western commercial salmon fishermen's organisations and to separate proposals outlining a scheme for the retirement of the holders of drift net licences which I received in late July from the Stop Drift Nets Now campaign. I also refer to the recently published paper by Senator Dardis entitled Saving Ireland's Salmon Resource: A New Policy Approach.

I have asked the commission to ensure that all these documents are fully considered over the coming months. As an immediate first step, I have already asked the salmon commission, which held its first meeting on Tuesday of last week, to ensure that the committee's report receives priority in its consideration of how best the wild salmon resource may be managed, conserved and exploited on a shared and sustainable basis into the future having regard to Government policy.

Since taking up my ministerial appointment a little more than a year ago, I have reaffirmed not my policy but the Government's policy and belief that the current strategy of developing a sustainable commercial and recreational salmon fishery through aligning catches on the scientific advice holds out the strong prospect of a recovery of stocks and of a long-term sustainable fishery for both sectors. I am committed to the conservation of the wild salmon stock in order that in future the resource can provide the maximum contribution to the regional and national economy. In this regard, I will consider the health of the salmon resource and the socio-economic impact on the coastal and inland communities who depend on the resource for their livelihoods. Given the region from which I come and having represented the whole of the west coast for a number of years, I am well aware of the fact that no individual, crew or family can depend entirely on the income from this resource. Such income supplements the annual income of individuals, whether they be small farmers or those in receipt of social welfare benefits; it helps to put bread on the table and educate family members.

I will continue to be guided by the fundamental principle adopted, and adhered to, by my predecessors during the last three years, which is that the exploitation of salmon, by all fishing methods, should be progressively aligned on scientific advice. I have already stated that the Government remains fully committed to this principle as the only sustainable and defensible way forward for salmon management in Ireland.

I am sure that the Senators present also appreciate that drift netting or commercial fishing is not the only issue in this context. Many other factors, notably, pollution, poaching, global warming and interception at sea, to name but a few, affect our natural salmon resource. Seals are another factor that affect this resource, to which it is not popular to allude. No one can quantify the damage to this resource by seals. Notwithstanding that, I condemn outright the actions of some people in the south west last year in regard to seals. All these factors affect this resource. We cannot examine this issue in isolation. There are no simple, straightforward answers and an integrated approach to dealing with it must be taken.

I am pleased to have this opportunity to outline to the House the Government's thinking, view and policy on this matter. I want to find a balance to our approach. I fully appreciate the importance of the salmon resource to the commercial sector, angling, tourism and, more particularly, to our anglers. For every 100 salmon landed by rod, 95 of those are landed by our anglers. I was amazed by that statistic. It is important we know that. It is also important that I take note of the importance of angling and its tourism implications.