Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the matter and it is important to set out the background. I visited the area with the former Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Brian Hayes, and we had an enjoyable and useful interaction with the community.

Ireland manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis and this is carried out by IFI. The individual river management strategy is based on the fact that each of Ireland's 143 salmon rivers, including the River Suir, has its own unique stock of salmon, which migrates to sea as juveniles and returns to the same river in adulthood to spawn and create the next generation of fish exclusive to that river. Our wild salmon management regime is now viewed by North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation, NASCO, parties and others as exemplary in the international context. The work of IFI ensures Ireland leads the way internationally in how it manages salmon rivers. This proactive approach to conservation and meeting international obligations is not without cost and, in this regard, significant resources are expended every year to ensure everything is up to date.

IFI is supported in its management of salmon stocks by a statutorily based scientific committee comprising scientists from IFI, Bord lascaigh Mhara, BIM, the Loughs Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Marine Institute, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, AFB, Northern Ireland other State bodies and third level institutions. This independent scientific committee assesses and offers advice on the predicted stocks status in all 143 salmon rivers each year against that their conservation limit using the most recent five years of available data. The conservation limit is the number of adult salmon required to maintain a healthy population - the stock level that maximises the long-term average surplus.

The Atlantic salmon is a protected species and Ireland's current salmon management regime complies with the EU habitats directive. The conservation imperative means that exploitation of salmon is only permitted where the independent scientific committee determines that the stock exceeds its conservation limit. The annual advice of the committee is available on our website.

For 2014, of the 143 rivers assessed, 57 are open to harvestable surplus, 30 are open to catch and release and 56 are closed. Each of the rivers will be reviewed again as part of the annual scientific assessment later this year. Commercial harvest fisheries, including snap netting, are only permitted on individual river stocks that are shown to have a surplus of fish in excess of the conservation limit. Fisheries in estuaries may also be permitted where the stocks from individual rivers entering the estuaries meet their individual conservation limits but if one of the rivers does not, one cannot fish in the estuary because one cannot be sure where the salmon came from.

District committees comprising commercial and angling stakeholders, as well as IFI and BIM, have been established to discuss the sharing of a surplus if there is one available. The conservation limit for a river is the number of spawning salmon required to produce the next generation. The conservation limit is calculated similarly for all of Ireland's 143 salmon rivers based on the wetted area, latitude and other river specific factors such as the proportion of one sea winter salmon and multi-sea winter salmon in the population, the average weight of these salmon, proportions of male and female salmon and average numbers of eggs per female fish. "Adult salmon returns" are determined on the basis of the counter figures where one is in operation or the rod catch figures from mandatory logbooks using the most recent five years of data. The data are used to determine whether the river has a surplus for exploitation or a deficit. Following the advice of the independent scientific committee, the proportion of a river's conservation limit being met enables IFI to make recommendations on the catch options.

These recommendations are submitted to me as Minister and, following a 30-day consultation period, usually in November, a decision is made in December on the future catch options associated with each river. I have been advised that the River Suir conservation limit is fixed at 14,408 salmon. The 2014 advice is the river is only achieving 11,959 adult returning salmon, some 2,449 below the established conservation limit. This indicates that the river is meeting 83% of its conservation limit. IFI management advised that the river should be closed to harvestable fishing - commercial and recreational - and that the precautionary approach should be used. I am advised by IFI that the independent scientific committee has emphasised the value of having reliable information to provide a population estimate to support the conservation and management of wild salmon on an individual river basis. Since 2007, to provide a population index on rivers where no harvest fishery is permitted, it has been recommended that catch and release angling may be permitted on catchments achieving in excess of 65% of the conservation limit. If it exceeds that, catch and release can be used.

Previous assessments of the River Suir indicated it did not meet its conservation limit for 2008 and was open for catch and release angling only, with no commercial fisheries. The river remained below the limit for 2009. In providing scientific advice for the following year, the scientific committee applied a low exploitation rate for rod catches made in 2008 and 2009.

For 2010, it was estimated that it was meeting 96% of its conservation limit. A low exploitation rate was also applied to the rod catch in 2010 for the 2011 period. A rod catch of 1,501 salmon was reported for the Suir in 2011 and a commercial salmon fishery was also in operation. The scientific committee reviewed the 2011 rod catches and applied a medium rod exploitation rate for 2012 advice on the River Suir given the increased angling effort with this river fully open for harvesting salmon by rod, and a medium rod exploitation rate has been used for subsequent assessments.

The 2013 estimate is only 35% of the 2009-12 average rod catch and 861 salmon fewer than the previous five-year time series used in the catch advice for the 2013 season. Therefore, applying the most recent data, a significantly reduced salmon stock level is in place for 2014. Any future decision on a harvesting a fishery, commercial or recreational, can only responsibly be taken in the context of the river being above its conservation limit.

While I am advised that the best scientific and management advice is being utilised to manage the salmon stocks in the River Suir, Ireland must be particularly careful to ensure that all national and international legislation and other obligations are met in any future management regime. In that regard, as the River Suir is below its established conservation limit, the conservation imperative and the application of the precautionary principal dictate that no harvest fishery can be permitted for 2014. As already mentioned, the River Suir was previously closed for a number of years and re-opened when stocks recovered, and exploitation could take place without damaging the long-term viability of the stocks. The status of the Suir, as with all 143 salmon rivers in Ireland, will be reviewed again later this year and will continue on an annual basis.