Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will publish the statistics on salmon numbers recorded in the Suir Estuary over the past five years; his plans to reopen the Suir Estuary to salmon fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19849/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the performance of salmon rivers is assessed on an annual basis by the Salmon Standing Scientific Committee (SSC). The estimated number of one-sea-winter adult salmon spawners in the River Suir from 2005 to 2010 is described in the annual assessments of the SSC. Copies of the annual reports are available on the Department's website. The estimate for 2005 was 9,000; 2006 - 9,900; 2007 - 17,400; 2008 - 17,500; and 2009 - 15,000. These annual estimates indicated that the average over 5 years was less than the conservation limit requirement of 15,771 and so no harvest was permissible. In 2010 the estimated number of spawners was 18,281, resulting in the specification of a total allowable catch for the current 2011 season of 1,473 fish for the River.

The Suir Estuary forms part of the Waterford Estuary, into which the Nore and Barrow Rivers also flow. I understand that stocks in the River Nore demonstrated a recovery with a growing surplus identified since 2009. The salmon stock in the River Barrow, I am informed however, continues to be below its conservation limit. Approval was given for the conduct of a survey, by inland Fisheries Ireland and the Waterford Estuary Fisherman's Association, in Waterford estuary in 2010. The main objectives of the survey were stated as:

1. To determine genetically the current extent of Irish river of origin salmon captured in Waterford estuary and to also determine the presence, if any, of salmon from other countries in the estuary.

2. To capture salmon over an extended period in summer and autumn to determine river of origin by genetic analysis within the Barrow / Nore / Suir river complex to provide a qualitative assessment of salmon stock abundance on the river Barrow where no stock estimate is currently available.

I await a report on the outcome of the survey.

In the future event that stocks are shown to recover in each of the rivers of the Waterford Estuary, and it is established from the results of Genetic Stock Identification that significant numbers of fish destined for other rivers are not intercepted within the rivers and estuary, it should be possible to exploit the identified surplus within the constraints permitted by the Habitats Directive as transposed by the European Communities (National Habitats) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 94 of 1997).