Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1282. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason persons are being prevented from selling fish to local restaurants even if legally caught; the steps to be taken to ensure that persons and restaurants are both compliant with the law; the recent changes in the law in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20026/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The sale of rod caught wild salmon or sea trout has been prohibited since 2001 as one of a range of measures aimed at conservation of stocks.  This particular measure was introduced to preserve angling as a recreational pursuit and not in any way to promote its development into a commercial activity by encouraging the catching of salmon or sea trout for sale or commercial gain and thereby potentially incentivising further pressure on vulnerable stocks.

The conservation imperative demands that salmon stocks must be afforded the maximum protection to facilitate the recovery of the genetically individual stock in each of our salmon rivers. For the 2017 season, some 48 rivers are open with an exploitable surplus and 27 rivers are open to catch and release angling with no harvestable surplus.

In that context, the retention of the provision prohibiting the sale of rod caught wild salmon is considered an essential component of national conservation and protection policy. This and similar measures applying to other types of angling, such as restricting the numbers and sizes of fish that can be harvested, are all aimed at ensuring the long term survival of valuable recreational angling fish stocks.

All salmon caught in Ireland must be tagged with a gill tag and logged to show where the fish was taken and whether taken by rod and line or in a commercial fishery.  Imported salmon are tagged with a tail tag. Restaurants selling, commercially caught or imported wild salmon for consumption are required to retain the appropriate tags and records which are subject to inspection, for compliance with statutory provisions, by IFI.