John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 510: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is satisfied that the persons worst affected by the ban on salmon fishing have been adequately recompensed through the salmon hardship scheme; his views on whether the administration of this scheme has prioritised the persons worst affected by changes and regulations introduced. [3626/10]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Independent Salmon Group was established in 2006 to examine the implications of fully aligning the management of the wild salmon fishery with the scientific advice. The Government adopted the key recommendations of the report, which included the creation of a salmon hardship fund for those affected by the cessation of mixed stock fishing.

The scheme, which was administered by BIM, provided a measure of relief to individuals in line with the level of hardship likely to be experienced on foot of the cessation of fishing. The level of payment, recommended by the Independent Salmon Group and applied through the scheme, was based on the recorded catch history of the eligible licensees and the average net income per salmon in the commercial drift and draft net fishery.

I understand that payments to beneficiaries ranged from €1,140 to €190,000 whilst the average payment was approximately €21,000.