Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the position regarding the installation of smolt tagging and counters in the Southern Regional Fisheries Board area; when he intends to provide funds for this work; and when he further intends to instruct the Marine Institute to commence this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter [13411/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Marine Institute that smolt traps have been operated on the River Suir for the past three years under a joint Marine Institute-Southern Regional Fisheries Board project in an attempt to intercept sufficient wild salmon smolts for tagging with coded wire tags and subsequent release into the Suir. The purpose of this programme is to ascertain the extent of interception of the returning adults in various mixed stock fisheries around the coast and has involved considerable effort on behalf of the Marine Institute in co-operation with staff of the Southern Regional Fisheries Board. In 2006, it is intended to place a second smolt trap into the River Suir to improve the trapping of descending smolts. Preparations have already begun and the traps should be operational by the middle of April, in time for the peak smolt run which should be around the first two weeks of May.

It was anticipated that the smolt trapping on such a large river system might take a number of years to refine and for this reason a secondary programme was initiated by the Marine Institute and the Southern Regional Fisheries Board in 2005, with the release of 10,000 hatchery reared and tagged smolts into the River Suir. Returns from these released fish will be obtained during the 2006 fishery, and will provide information on where River Suir fish may be intercepted in mixed stock salmon fisheries off the Irish coast. This programme will continue in 2006 when a batch of 10,000 reared tagged smolts will be released into the River Barrow. Suitable release locations have recently been identified. The smolts have been tagged and vaccinated and will be released in early April. Returns from these releases will not be available until after the 2007 season.

The overall management of the national fish counter programme has, to date, been primarily the responsibility of the Marine Institute, which has operated directly or by sub-contracting where necessary in order to maintain the objectives of the programme. The Marine Institute in conjunction with the regional fisheries boards, fishery owners, engineers from this Department and consultants-contractors has installed counting systems on a wide range of Irish salmon and sea trout rivers.

Considerable capital expenditure has been invested in the counter programme over the past number of years and I expect the regional fisheries boards and the Marine Institute to collaborate closely in managing the fish counter programme in the most effective and efficient way possible. I am sure that the Deputy will be aware of the increased importance of counters in view of the impending changes in the commercial fishery.

It was decided in June 2003 that the management of all existing counters be transferred to the relevant regional fisheries boards. It is my view that the service can be operated most efficiently and economically by trained fisheries board staff on the ground and I would regard this as an integral part of each board's functions. It should be possible for both the Marine Institute and the fisheries boards to operate the existing counter programme in an efficient manner within the existing financial resources available to them. It is a matter for each board to decide its priorities in relation to investment in counters within their overall allocation of Exchequer funding for capital and current expenditure purposes. In 2005 the Southern Regional Fisheries Board received Exchequer funding of €2,509,300 and for 2006 the allocation is €2,158.505.

The Department is reviewing the arrangements in respect of the operational, data management and quality assurance issues for the national fish counter management programme. I expect this review to be completed shortly so that an enhanced national management programme will be established within the available resources to be carried out by the regional fisheries boards in partnership with the Marine Institute.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Question 271: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when his Department intends to carry out improvement works to the weir at the Manor, Clonmel on the River Suir to allow salmonup river as they are experiencing significantdifficulty at present in passing up river; andif he will make a statement on the matter. [13429/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The weir in question is owned by Clonmel Borough Council. I am advised by the chief executive of the Southern Regional Fisheries Board that this weir presents difficulties occasionally for salmon passing up the River Suir at low water levels during the spawning season. The board, in conjunction with the engineering division of the Department, presented a temporary remedy to the owners of the weir. However, following consultation with the OPW, the initial plan was rejected because of the impact on the adjacent bridge during flood conditions. I understand that a further temporary solution has now been agreed and will be completed this summer. Furthermore, I am advised that to address the problems of flooding, the OPW has planned a flood relief scheme for Clonmel, and as part of this scheme, the OPW has agreed to install a comprehensive fish pass system, which will be drawn up by the engineering division of the Department