Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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126. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider a compensation package for the next of kin of draft fishing licenceholders if the licenceholder has passed away since the last time draft fishing was permitted; if not, if he will consider allowing next of kin to inherit the draft fishing licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7021/23]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a compensation scheme will be offered to draft net fishing licenceholders based on region in circumstances where he does not foresee that region allowing draft net fishing within the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7026/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 131 together.

Commercial salmon fishing licences are public licences which must be taken out annually under the provisions of the Fisheries Acts. Such licences are entirely permissive in nature, confer no rights on the licensee, are not the property of the holder nor can they be held on a permanent basis.

In that context the issue of compensation does not arise. In addition, given the nature of the public licences they are not inheritable or capable of transfer or sale.

In 2007, the Government established a €25m hardship scheme open to all holders of a commercial salmon licence. The majority of active fishers availed of payment under the measure and the scheme closed in 2008 with all funds expended.

There are no plans to introduce a similar scheme.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there are details or a survey regarding the placement of the River Boyne fish counter; and if a better location in a narrower part of the river could have been selected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7022/23]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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130. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he believes the Boyne fish counters at Blackcastle, Navan, County Meath gives an accurate count of fish (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7025/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 130 together.

The placement, operation and utilisation of fish counters as one of a number of indices used by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in its annual assessment of salmon returns is a technical and operational matter for IFI in which neither I nor my Department have any function.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that queries can be addressed promptly, in line with IFI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@fisheriesireland.ie.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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128. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when his Department will contact draft net fishing licenceholders to allow draft net fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7023/23]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider allowing a shorter draft net fishing season if fish stocks are lower than quotas allow for the regular draft net fishing season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7024/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together.

I recently enacted the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations for 2023 which came into operation on 1 January last and set out, inter alia, the status of each of Ireland‘s more than 140 salmon rivers as open, open to catch and release or closed to harvest. These regulations are based on the annual management advice of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) supported by independent annual scientific assessments by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS) on the basis that each river has a genetically unique stock.

The draft regulations are advertised nationally and subject to a 30 day public consultation in November each year and any person with an interest in the fishing industry is aware of this.

In respect of rivers open to harvest and on which a commercial fishery exists, the annual Control of Fishing for Salmon Order for 2023, to regulate commercial fishing, is currently being drafted in my Department, in advance of the commercial fishing season, in May. Opening and closing dates for individual fisheries are varied in the context of the surplus available.

In setting out the annual fisheries legislation, successive Minsters since 2006 have acted in line with the Government decision of that year that salmon management is to be aligned with scientific advice. In that regard, the primary determinant of facilitating fishing is the availability of a harvestable surplus above the individual rivers conservation limit which is the number of adult spawning fish required to maintain a viable population as scientifically established.

Allowing harvest of rivers below their conservation limit is not permitted as this would increase pressures on already vulnerable stocks and potentially severely damage their longer term viability and the biodiversity in their aquatic habitat. In that context such a decision to facilitate harvest in these circumstances would be irresponsible and run counter to the conservation imperative and the EU Habitats Directive. As already state scientific assessments are carried out annually when the status of each stock is reviewed.