Imelda Henry (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. My question is on salmon fishing on Lough Gill and I will give a little bit of background information. Tourism is of particular importance in the Sligo area and, as we all know, the county has outstanding natural beauty and is very suited to the promotion of a wide range of outdoor pursuits to attract tourists. One such activity is angling. The county has two major salmon rivers, the Ballisodare River and the Lough Gill and River Bonet system. These have the potential to attract a considerable number of overseas and Northern Ireland anglers and it would certainly benefit tourism generally.

What can be achieved in this area of salmon fishing is clearly seen in the Moy catchment area of County Mayo where angling is regarded as probably one of the main tourist attractions. Unfortunately, salmon fishing on the Lough Gill and Bonet River system, which enters the sea in Sligo town through the Garavogue River, is now seriously restricted in order to facilitate the recovery of stocks.

This reduction in salmon stocks is a reasonably recent occurrence in terms of the long history of salmon fishing in Sligo. A report from the mid-18th century referred to Sligo salmon being caught in nets in the bay as reckoned to be the best in Ireland. This activity of fishing, by way of nets, was continued well into the middle of the 20th century where the fishery was owned by the Wood-Martin family and operated as a commercial venture with up to six men employed full-time during the salmon season operating the boats which stretched the nets across the mouth of the estuary of the Garavogue River right into the heart of Sligo town.

Now, according to local angling interests, only 15 gill tags are available-----