Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if an approved NGO observer at NASCO (details supplied) furnished any scientific evidence or data to his officials in the inland fisheries division that validates the current policy requiring all rod-caught Atlantic salmon above 65cm to be released alive and that harvesting of Atlantic salmon in September should cease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26922/24]

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to his Department's officials co-hosting with Inland Fisheries Ireland the forty-first annual meeting of NASCO in Westport, County Mayo between 3 and 7 June, where the threat of invasive pink salmon (oncorhynchus gorbuscha) to native Atlantic salmon was discussed; if he will continue with the perverse policy of conserving pink salmon in Irish waters, particularly in special areas of conservation under current fisheries legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26923/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The threat posed to native Atlantic salmon across the entire North Atlantic region by invasive pink salmon was discussed during a special themed session of the recent meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) hosted by Ireland. In a European context the instances of significant invasion are in Scandinavian and northern waters although pink salmon have been observed in very limited numbers in waters further south including Ireland.

My Department’s policy and that of Inland Fisheries Ireland is that pink salmon is an invasive alien species. Anglers, fishers and members of the public have been asked to retain any pink salmon encountered and present these fish to IFI for analysis. This policy initiative is supported by a public information campaign (including images and description) to assist with the identification of this species. Ireland is at the forefront, via our involvement in NASCO, in supporting concerted international cooperation to address the threat of pink salmon. Current fisheries policy does not provide for the protection or conservation of this species but supports its removal from our inland waters.