Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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599. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the impact exploration and seismic vessels undertaking activities in Irish waters are having on the prawn fisheries in the Porcupine basin and on the behaviour of albacore tuna shoals; if his attention has been drawn to the additional costs this has caused to fisherman affected; his plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7252/17]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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612. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if an open and transparent environmental consent process has been put in place prior to consent being granted to exploration and seismic survey companies to operate in Ireland's maritime jurisdiction that takes into account the impact on fish and prawn species; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7253/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 612 together.

Applications to my Department for conducting seismic surveys are assessed in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive which aims to ensure that plans, programmes and projects likely to have significant effects on the environment are made subject to an environmental assessment, prior to their approval or authorisation.

The assessment of seismic applications considers, inter alia, the effects of seismic sources on adult fish, as well as eggs and larvae based on the information provided in the application and additional scientific sources.

Furthermore, applicants for seismic surveys are required to consult with all fishing representative bodies both domestic and international and the contact names and details within these bodies are advertised on my Department’s Website.  Submissions received on foot of this consultation form part of the decision making process.

In addition, it should be noted that all permitted seismic surveys are conditioned to engage a Fisheries Liaison Officer (FLO) and to maintain an FLO on the seismic vessel for the duration of the survey.

Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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600. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there are official salmon counters on the Shannon, Maigue, Mulcair and Fergus rivers; if so, the recording frequency and the results from 2006 to date; and if a salmon surplus has been recorded in any of these years. [7258/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The primary index for evaluation of likely returning numbers is the recorded rod (harvest or catch and release) and commercial catch (if any) averaged over the previous 5 years.  Fish counters are particularly useful in cases where rod or commercial data is not available.

I have been informed by Inland Fisheries Ireland that there are salmon counters on all four rivers where salmon are counted on a daily basis.  

A counter was installed on the River Maigue at the Adare Manor location in 2013 and no salmon surplus has been available since then.  The conservation limit (CL) for the Maigue is 4,632, which is not being reached.  The counts recorded since 2013 are set out in the following table.

The CL for the River Mulcair is 4,214 and is currently reaching 83% of this conservation limit. The river is, therefore, open under catch and release conditions for 2017, having attained the minimum 65% of CL required. The Mulcair was also open under catch and release conditions for 2015 and 2016 but there was no harvestable surplus available in those years.

A counter was installed on the Fergus in 2013 and the counts since then are set out in the following table. The River Fergus has been closed to Salmon angling since 2006.

There are two salmon counters on the Shannon at Ardnacrusha Dam and at Parteen Weir. These counters are operated by the ESB, as the fishery owners, and not by IFI. The average run for both counters combined over the past five years is approximately 1,858 salmon. No surplus has been available on the Shannon since 2007.

The Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon averages counter data over the most recent 5 years to provide scientific advice to underpin management in the following year.  The longest series of counter figures is available on the Mulcair going back to 2007, and the table shows the salmon counter figures and the salmon surplus available since then.  The table also provides counter data for 2014-2016 for the Fergus, and for 2013-2016 for the Maigue.