Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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543. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the catch statistics for wild salmon and sea trout in the western river basin district area from 2010 to date in 2013 giving a monthly breakdown of these fish caught and released and those un-returned slaughtered fish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28030/13]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The tables below set out, for the Deputy, the Salmon and Sea Trout angling catches, 2010-2012 in the Western River Basin taking into account Galway, Ballinakill, Connemara, Bangor, Ballina and Sligo Fisheries Districts. These catches are disaggregated by Salmon / Sea Trout caught and released, harvest and total catch by year. Data for 2013 will be available in early 2014 once logbooks are returned to Inland Fisheries Ireland in accordance with licence requirements.

In making comparisons between the above 3 years catch one must take into account a number of variables i.e. Fishing conditions, weather, run timing of fish, number of anglers fishing.

2010 proved an excellent year for anglers due to favourable fishing conditions, good water levels, marine survival rates and timely fish runs at key fishing periods. Whilst the 2011 catch was lower than 2010 it also proved a good year for anglers with favourable fishing conditions, marine survival rates and timely fish runs at key fishing periods. 2012, however, proved a challenging year for anglers with difficult fishing conditions, high water levels and inexplicit fish runs at key fishing periods.