I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 to 342, inclusive, together.
While the draft Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations 2026 remain under consideration, the existing regulations and bye-laws remain in place and will continue to apply until they are amended or replaced. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) can only implement regulatory measures currently in effect and no new measures will apply until I have approved and signed amendment legislation.
No decision been made yet on the proposed measures for the 2026 season. Submissions received following public consultation on the proposals are currently being considered.
Under Section 66 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959, it is an offence to fish for salmon and sea trout without a valid licence. Accordingly, IFI is required to ensure that angling licences are available in advance of the angling season, including for rivers that open from 1 January and for private fisheries that operate within the statutory framework.
I have been advised by IFI that angling licence sales opened in December in response to angler demand. There is now a ‘banner’ notice on the IFI’s Online Salmon Shop webpage (store.fishinginireland.info/) informing anglers that the 2025 status for open, closed and catch-and-release rivers and bye-laws remain in place and that 2026 measures remain under consideration.
The sale of salmon angling licences does not confer any entitlement to fish otherwise than in accordance with the regulations and bye-laws in force at the time of fishing. There is a long-established principle that anglers must comply with the legal requirements applicable at the relevant time and the advance purchase of a licence does not pre-empt or predetermine regulatory outcomes for an upcoming season.
Section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, provides the statutory basis for making regulations relating to the management and tagging of wild salmon and sea trout. While regulation booklets have traditionally been made available by IFI, Section 69 does not prescribe the specific form in which regulatory information must be provided or does it require a booklet to accompany licence sales and therefore the issue of non-compliance with statutory obligations does not arise.
