Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is happy that the Inland Fisheries Ireland western lakes management plan will draw on the latest developments in scientific data, survey work and research to create a strategy for these waters that will protect, conserve and preserve their unique status and importance in the long term. The plan will be subject to rigorous environmental governance, including the requirements of EU directives and, critically, will take ecological, biodiversity and socioeconomic impacts into account. If legislative change is required in the pursuit of this strategy, it will be considered in the context of the aims of the plan and will encompass consideration of the wider legislation and not confine itself to a very narrow range of species, as suggested.

It is envisaged that stakeholder engagement between the State bodies, public representatives, the angling community and conservation groups will be a key component to the formulation of the management plan. It is anticipated a broad range of diverse views will again emerge from this engagement. Department officials continue to work closely with Inland Fisheries Ireland on the matter. The issues around the habitats directive must consider the salmonid species included in annexe 2 of the directive on wild Atlantic salmon and the need to protect it from threats, including human exploitation. Salmon in all waters in Ireland are afforded specific protections via established fisheries policy and annual conservation legislation. Ireland's protection of salmon is considered best in class internationally and aligns fully with the EU habitats directive and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization principles.

Management is based on annual scientific management assessments for salmon stocks, ensuring the harvest of salmon is only from waters with sustainable reproductive capacity, closing waters of salmon that are below sustainable reproductive capacity, opening waters to catch and release, licensing, tagging of harvested salmon, and annual legislation defining the status of each river. There is also annual legislation to regulate salmon angling and, separately, to regulate commercial fisheries. The salmon management regime also applies to sea trout more than 40 cm in length, and the potential to extend similar protections to other salmonid species will be considered to afford particular protections to salmonids in general.