Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware of the Loughros Mór draft net fisheries demand for season parity, ahead of the 2025 season; if he will consider intervening to ensure license holders on the Owenea and Owentocker rivers/Loughros Mór estuary are treated fairly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7404/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I have been advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the national authority for the protection, conservation and development of the inland fisheries resource that the scientific advice for the operation of salmon fisheries prepared by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS) for the Owenea and Owentocker rivers, which drain to the Loughros estuary, west Donegal, has necessitated a range of proactive conservation management measures over recent years to safeguard and rebuild salmon spawning stocks at a time of historically low marine salmon survival, whilst supporting recreational rod angling and commercial draft net fisheries wherever possible.

IFI recently carried out a public consultation which closed on Thursday, 20 February 2025 in relation to a proposal to restrict the commercial salmon draft net season on Loughros estuary to fishing between July 1st and July 21st this year. Arising from this consultation, the submissions received on this proposal are currently under review in IFI.

As it stands, I intend to make the Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Draft Nets and Snap Nets) Bye-law later this year based on the expert scientific advice of IFI and informed by the aforementioned public consultation. This Bye-law will set out the opening and closing dates (and hours) for the draft net and snap net salmon and sea trout commercial fishing season in 2025 and prohibits draft net and snap net fishing for salmon and sea trout in all fishery districts except those mentioned in the Schedule to the Bye-law.