Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

It was not in a tin. Labelling is important. I have also noticed the craze for organic salmon and often wonder how that can be sold as organic. Local authorities in County Dublin have launched a number of river stocking initiatives in recent years. This is welcome. Fishing is not just a gentrified activity for rural Ireland. It has been part of Dublin life for centuries. Pollution of the Liffey has curtailed the number of people who fish in Dublin. I ask the Minister of State to support the local authorities in Dublin who are trying at a preliminary level to restock the rivers and ensure that recreational fishing is enjoyed by everyone.

Action must follow debate. We must make a decision on drift netting. This problem is not recent but has developed over the past 40 or 50 years. Some fishermen, if one counts the number of salmon they catch on a regular basis, take ten times the number of salmon for which they have a licence. The licence system cannot be policed for salmon. The Minister of State has yet to decide whether he supports a compulsory or voluntary buyout. Where an industry is depleting a sustainable commodity there are examples of the Government accepting the principles of a buyout and giving compensation. If we are serious about arresting the tide of salmon stock depletion, we must instigate a buyout. My party supports a voluntary buyout to ensure that the issue of salmon stocks is addressed. The tourism revenue from this could be considerable particularly in parts of rural Ireland. It would help develop angling tourism and ensure that many towns and small villages in rural Ireland, particularly those close to rivers or potential fishing grounds, are developed to their full potential.

I accept that this is a complicated issue. The Minister recently spoke about seals, which are the major predatory competition for salmon returning to our shores. As the Minister said, we must address that issue. I am not sure what one can do about global warming, the rising tides and the ongoing seal problem, but we can do something about drift netting licences and the amount permitted to be caught. Ireland is in a minority of EU countries that still permit drift netting. I ask the Minister of State to move on the recommendations of the report and I hope a decision is made sooner rather than later and is not left to drift, excuse the pun, to the National Salmon Commission.