Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Táim chun é seo a léamh, cé go bhfuil sé beagáinín fada agus má bhíonn orm teacht isteach an dara uair, déanfaidh mé é sin. Wild salmon in Ireland are part of our rich national heritage and biological tapestry, and Ireland is one of the most renowned natural producers of wild salmon in the North Atlantic.

Ireland traditionally operated a commercial, offshore, mixed stock fishery, an estuarine draft net fishery, an in-river commercial snap net fishery and an angling or recreational fishery.

Fisheries experts and scientists in Ireland have been concerned for many years about the declining numbers of salmon in Ireland. This parallels concerns internationally regarding the severe decline in Atlantic salmon. This parallels international concerns about the severe decline in the number of wild Atlantic salmon, which has a very distinct life cycle. As Ireland has a large number of salmon rivers, it is very important in terms of the worldwide stock of Atlantic salmon. Since 1996, Ireland has introduced a progressive series of conservation initiatives to address this decline in stocks. In addition to conservation measures that were already in place, Ireland introduced an annual quota for angling and commercial salmon fishery in 2002. That quota was reduced progressively on an annual basis from 219,000 salmon in 2002 to 62,000 salmon in 2007. Although these measures provided some protection for stocks until 2007, they did not specifically address the mixed stock nature of Ireland's marine salmon fisheries. These fisheries were known to take salmon from individual river stocks below that river's conservation limits. They took stocks originating from rivers in other countries as well as in Ireland.

Conservation limits are defined as the number of adult salmon required to reproduce in sufficient quantities to generate the next generation of salmon in a specific system and to ensure the long-term sustainability of this river-specific salmon stock. Ireland has established conservation limits for all salmon river systems. The salmon stock status in each catchment is accessed each year using best available counter and catch data supported by scientific data and modelling. This scientific analysis, which is conducted by the independent standing scientific committee on salmon, offers advice on potential salmon surpluses and deficits using the precautionary principle. Each year, management personnel review the scientific outputs and develop management advice for each salmon river. This advice supports the annual development of the salmon and sea trout commercial and angling fishery regulations. In order to align fully with international scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation, the Government closed the mixed stock salmon fisheries - the drift net fishery - in 2007. The closure of Ireland's mixed stock commercial salmon fishery was supported by the introduction of a €30 million salmon hardship scheme, which was aimed at fishermen who were prepared to leave the sector permanently and was administered through Bord Iascaigh Mhara.

While the salmon fishery is a public fishery for which a licence is required, there is no obligation on the State to open the fishery. Equally, nobody is entitled to obtain a licence. Despite this lack of licence entitlement, the hardship scheme was made available to all commercial salmon licence holders from previous years. They were given an opportunity to receive compensation in return for ceasing commercial salmon fishing permanently. Applications from interested applicants were accepted until the end of 2007. Many former fishermen availed of the scheme. Since then, the exploitation of salmon stocks through commercial fishing and recreational angling has only been permitted on stocks emanating from rivers that are achieving their conservation limits and therefore have surplus salmon available. In 2012, some 57 rivers are open with a surplus of salmon available whereas 60 rivers are closed because they did not reach conservation limits and did not generate a surplus. A further 31 rivers are open for angling on a catch and release basis. Rivers meeting over 65% of the conservation limit may be approved for catch and release status. This permits rod and line angling under strict conditions, such as using a barbless hook and immediately returning any fish caught to the water alive.

In 2006, the Central Fisheries Board, which is now known as Inland Fisheries Ireland, was directed under the Fisheries Act 1980 to "co-ordinate the preparation and implementation of a programme for rehabilitation of salmon stocks giving priority to rivers below their Conservation Limits in special areas of conservation which have the greatest prospect of recovery". Provision was made for the programme to be funded from the proceeds of the salmon conservation component of salmon licence fees. An additional fee, equivalent to the cost of the salmon licence, was added to all classes of salmon licence to provide funds for conservation in 2007. This fund was subsequently used to rehabilitate habitats in salmon rivers, particularly those under their conservation limits. Over €3 million has been collected and allocated to rehabilitation projects nationwide since the fund was initiated.

The Atlantic salmon is a protected species under the EU habitats directive. The current salmon management regime complies with the requirements of this legislation. The reintroduction of a fishery for offshore islands and coastal communities would be contrary to the internationally independent advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Such a move could potentially lead to conflict with EU obligations on grounds of not protecting vulnerable Irish and international salmon stocks. Despite the initial increase in runs in most rivers following the closure of mixed stock commercial salmon fisheries, many specific river stocks remain below their conservation limits. Given the persistently poor marine survival rates experienced by most monitored stocks in the north Atlantic and taking account of forecasts until 2015, at least, any expectation of an increase in catches is unrealistic and irresponsible at present. The advice we have received from our scientists and the position of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation is that the priority is the conservation imperative rather than an indiscriminate increase in the catch.

The current low levels of commercial fishing do not involve fish taken at sea but are concentrated on particular stocks in river and estuary systems that are generating surplus fish by meeting their conservation limits. It would not be appropriate to extend commercial fishing to sea areas such as those around offshore islands where the runs of salmon are known to be from multiple river stocks - both Irish and non-Irish rivers - some of which are below their conservation limits. The opening of commercial salmon fishing to offshore areas could only be considered with any authority if there was a dramatic improvement in marine survival of wild Atlantic salmon. Current international advice concurs that there is no indication of this in the foreseeable future. All current scientific evidence suggests that Atlantic salmon stocks remain under severe pressure in Ireland and elsewhere. There is no indication that there has been any sustainable recovery in the stocks as implied in the debate topic. All evidence is that marine survival of wild Atlantic salmon is at a fraction of historical levels. Until this improves significantly, the expansion of the commercial salmon fishery is unsustainable and irresponsible.