Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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498. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on an issue (details supplied) regarding fishing. [17160/16]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the state agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. In that role, IFI provides management advice to my Department regarding the most up-to-date status of species within its brief. IFI manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis as each of Ireland’s 143 salmon rivers has its own genetically unique stock of salmon. IFI is supported in its management of salmon stocks by a statutorily independent Standing Scientific Committee (SSC) comprising scientists from IFI, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Loughs Agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Marine Institute, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI - Northern Ireland), and other State bodies and third level institutions. The SSC's assessment of each individual stock is carried out every year.

The offshore and inshore salmon and sea trout commercial fisheries were closed by a Government decision from 2007 in order to comply with the EU Habitats Directive.  A Hardship Scheme totalling €30m was established for fishermen and fishing communities.  The scheme was administered by BIM and I am advised that the average payment under the scheme was almost €23,000, with the highest payment at over €195,000. Conditions of the scheme included that nets had to be verifiably decommissioned and those availing of the Scheme would not be entitled to a licence in the future.

Commercial harvest fisheries are currently permitted on individual river stocks which are shown to be meeting their conservation limit. Fisheries in estuaries may also be permitted where the stocks from individual rivers entering the estuaries are each meeting their individual conservation limits.  The current management approach allows Ireland to meet its international and national obligations in terms of salmon conservation and operate sustainable harvest fisheries (commercial and recreational) where this is feasible.

I am advised by IFI that where there is a mix of individual river stocks at sea, from both Irish rivers and the rivers of other countries, it is not possible to disaggregate fish in a mixed stock area and the conservation imperative is to protect vulnerable individual stocks from indiscriminate fishing and avoid exploitation of those stocks within the mix that are below their conservation limit.