Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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278. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of fisheries protection officers employed by Inland Fisheries Ireland in each of the years 2005 to 2016, and to date in 2017; the number of person hours spent on patrol to protect the fisheries resources in each of those years in tabular form; the number of protection officers who have been transferred to alternative roles in the organisation between 2005 and 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23711/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources was established in July 2010 following an amalgamation of the former Central and seven Regional Fishery Boards.  IFI's first full year of operation was 2011.

Details of fisheries protection officers employed by IFI in each of the years 2011 to 2016, and to date in 2017, are shown in the following table.

36 existing Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) staff were upgraded from General operative to the grade of Fisheries Officer in 2015. The new Fisheries Officers received training in the skills and competencies to allow them to enforce fisheries legislation thereby protecting and conserving Ireland’s valuable inland fisheries and sea angling resource. Two Fisheries Inspectors were allocated to IFI Business Development during the period 2011-2016. There were a number of location transfers amongst Fisheries Officers, however all of these remained within the protection sphere.

Fisheries patrol data is available for the years 2012 – 2016.  The person hours spent on fisheries patrols of freshwater rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and the sea are as follows:

*The current method of assessment used to record person hours was adopted in 2013, encompassing a broader range of activities.