Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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187. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps his Department is taking to stop the decline of trout and other fish stock in the River Shannon, which has hurt by recreational fishing and slowed the fishing tourism business along the river. [13170/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Fisheries on the Shannon are in the ownership of ESB and details of their engagement in stocking of fish into the river and other measures is available directly from ESB.

There are significant brown trout and coarse fishing opportunities on the River Shannon, and its lakes and tributaries, for anglers to avail of.

I recently enacted the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations for 2023 which set out inter alia, the status of each of Ireland‘s more than 140 salmon rivers including both the Upper and Lower Shannon. 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 salmon stock.

The TEGOS assessment for 2023 indicates the River Shannon Upper (above Parteen) is below its Conservation Limit and is therefore closed for harvesting whereas the Lower Shannon is open for Catch and Release angling.

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