Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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1281. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to increase the number of wild salmon available for high-value angling in lakes and rivers, his views on whether netting in rivers is a problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20024/17]

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.  IFI manages salmon stocks on an individual river basis as each of Ireland’s 147 salmon rivers (including river sections and estuaries) has its own genetically unique stock of salmon.

IFI is supported in its management role by the independent Standing Scientific Committee (SSC), comprising scientists from a range of organisations. Scientific and management assessments of each stock are carried out every year with IFI engaged in an extensive stock monitoring which feeds into the scientific committee's annual reviews.

Following scientific assessment and management advice, the surplus, if any, available in each river is established for the forthcoming fishing season so that it may be apportioned between anglers and commercial fishermen as regards rivers and estuaries where a commercial fishery exists. 

As each stock is assessed annually, the Control of Fishing for Salmon Order is enacted each year and sets out, in line with the conservation imperative, the maximum number of public draft net commercial licences that are available to fishermen, for the forthcoming season in each of the specific Fishery Districts where a commercial fishery exists.

IFI manages salmon stocks diligently on the basis of the established "precautionary principal" and the basis of national management policy is to ensure that all activity, commercial and recreational, is sustainable.  Commercial fisheries are only permitted on rivers where a sufficient surplus, above that rivers conservation limit, has been advised by the SSC and IFI to support a sustainable fishery.  In the case of estuaries, each of the contributing rivers must be above their individual conservation limit before a harvestable fishery is permitted.    

I am advised by IFI that, in relation to potential restocking of salmon, there are very significant genetic and ecological concerns when the progeny of wild salmon reared in a hatchery environment are released back into the wild.

IFI adopts a wide-ranging protection strategy and protection measures are delivered through the operation of highly trained, skilled and experienced inland fishery protection and surveillance teams, enabled through deployment of state-of-the-art technology and supporting infrastructure, on a 24 hour, 365 day basis.

The implementation of proven traditional work practices has been augmented by the increasing use of new innovative approaches such as kayak and bike patrolling, dog assisted patrolling and covert surveillance using advanced digital technologies. These innovations have assisted in deployment of protection resources and have delivered significantly improved efficiency and effectiveness.