Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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497. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a series of matters (details supplied) relating to draft net fishing on the River Feale will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52740/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Inland Fisheries Ireland 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 scientific advice from Ireland’s independent Standing Scientific Committee (SSC), comprising scientists from a range of organisations. IFI also has to regard EU legislation, most notably the Habitats Directive under which salmon habitats are protected.

Scientific and management assessments of each of the distinct stocks, including the river Feale, are carried out every year with IFI engaged in extensive stock monitoring which feeds into the SSC's annual reviews. The SSC analyses data from the previous five years and an average of the 5 years of data is used to estimate expected returns for the coming year. The use of a 5 year average ensures that a good or bad year does not have a disproportionate impact on the stock assessment in any single year.

The SSC uses a number of data sets in assessing the salmon stock on the river Feale. The stock is assessed using the fish counter located at Scartleigh dam. In addition, the commercial catch in the Feale and the rod caught salmon killed figure below the counter are added to fish counter numbers to calculate the total annual salmon return to the river.

This is the consistent methodology used each year by the SSC and has underpinned the status of the river as "open for harvest" over recent years. The average of the most recent 5 years of data 2014-2018 used for this years review has, however, demonstrated that the river is regarded as below its established conservation limit. This has resulted in the proposal to close the river to all harvest fishing (either commercial or rod and line), in line with the conservation imperative. It is proposed to open the Feale for catch and release angling.

The counter is a one channel counter operated on the crump weir which was installed to assist fish passage over the large weir. I am advised that this counter provides consistently accurate data. A new camera was installed early in the summer of 2017 for counter verification purposes. A very small number of salmon may by-pass the counter by going over the weir in high water conditions or ascend an old fish pass channel on the north bank and therefore, as part of the assessment, the counter figure is increased to take account of this, as advised by local Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) staff who monitor the operation of counter. It is the experience of local IFI staff that salmon generally do not ascend the weir in high water conditions. It should be noted that 2018 was a very dry year and there were very few occasions when the Scartleigh weir was overtopped.

A number of submissions relating to the proposals on the Feale were made to the statutory consultation process. Detailed responses will be made to those submissions following the closure of the consultation.