Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the results of scientific evidence available to him on the matter of salmon survival at sea; the evidence available to him on that survival with particular reference to salmon returning through the North Atlantic and before they reached any location of drift nets; the scientific evidence and reasons given for salmon mortality being as extensive as it is in that general location; if that mortality can be genetically accounted for as a human consequence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37467/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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A National Salmon Coded Wire Tagging and Tag Recovery Programme was initiated in 1980 to estimate marine survival of Irish salmon stocks, exploitation rates of high seas fisheries and home water commercial and recreational fisheries.

Since 1980, up to 200,000 salmon have been individually examined each year by the Marine Institute in over 30 locations around the country to identify coded wire tagged salmon and to recover these tags. Sampling locations are usually in the principal dealers or ports where salmon are landed but also include angling centres, fish processors and other fish outlets. In 2005, over 44,000 salmon were examined representing approximately 30% of the declared catch. Information is also collected from in-river traps and bloodstock returns to complete a return of fish to be estimated and providing invaluable information on marine survival and exploitations rates for tagged stocks. The analysis of marine survival is therefore based on a comprehensive sampling programme and on the returns of over 122,000 tag recoveries from releases of over 6.1 million tagged salmon over a 25 year period.

In addition to this two of the 10 European wild salmon index sites are located in Ireland where these assessments can be made directly i.e. the River Burrishoole where all outgoing smolts and all returning adults are assessed since the 1960's and the River Bush where similar data is available since the mid 1980s.

There is a decline in survival of wild salmon from the Irish index and values for both hatchery and wild stocks are the lowest in the time series. The current estimates suggest that less than 10% of wild smolts that go to sea from Irish rivers are surviving (i.e. less than 10 adults returning for every 100 smolts migrating).

The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) provide an annual assessment of survival in three main areas i.e. the Northern part of the North East Atlantic (Iceland, Scandinavia, Russia), the Southern part of the North East Atlantic (i.e. Ireland, UK, France, Spain) and North America. While survival has generally decreased in all areas, there is a notable decline for southern European stocks.

Marine survival is influenced by many factors and may not be simply fishery related. There are real concerns relating to factors causing mortality at sea such a predation by seals, diseases and parasites, marine pollution, bye-catch in other pelagic fisheries etc. The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) has endorsed a full marine investigation into the causes of the decline in marine survival over the past decade and Irish scientists will be contributing to these initiatives.

Genetic influences may be due to the constant fishing pressure on the salmon run in June and July.