Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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599. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to provide representation for draught net fishermen on the board of IFI. [32598/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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600. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the engagement he has had with draught net fishermen. [32599/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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601. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the engagement the IFI has had with draught net fishermen in the past five years. [32600/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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602. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to safeguard the future culture and heritage of draught net fishermen in certain parts of the country. [32601/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 to 602, inclusive, together.

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.

Over the last number of years officials from my Department and IFI have met with representatives of the draft net fishermen on a number of occasions to address their concerns.

The annual Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations, made under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, provide for the management of Ireland's wild salmon and sea trout fisheries by IFI. Specifically, the Regulations provide for the quotas of fish (surplus to the conservation limits) that can be harvested either commercially or by rod and line from those rivers identified in the Schedule to the Regulations. These Regulations are revised each year taking account of advice from IFI, the Standing Scientific Committee and any submissions received during a 30 day statutory public consultation period.

A copy of the draft regulations is made available on the Department’s website, www.dccae.gov.ieand is open for public inspection at the offices of the Department in Cavan and also at the offices of Inland Fisheries Ireland.  Any person may submit observations on the draft regulations at any time during the period of 30 days which normally concludes in early December each year in preparation for the following season.

Following scientific assessment and management advice taking into consideration any observations received, 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.

Prior to the current formation of IFI there was provision in legislation for the appointment of a representative of the draft net commercial fishermen to the Board of each Regional Fisheries Board. The Regional Boards had between 20 and 22 members. In 2010, all Regional Fisheries Boards and the Central Fisheries Board were abolished and IFI was formed with a Board of just 10 people, including one staff elected representative and the Chief Executive Officer. The other 8 posts are filled by open competition through the Public Appointments Service in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Guidelines. There are no specific constituencies for any of the posts. The appointments to the Board are for terms of 5 years and there are currently no vacancies on the Board of IFI.