Pádraig Rice
Question:343. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74608/25]
View answerTuesday, 13 January 2026
Questions (343)
Written answers
EU environmental law requires that fish passage solutions be considered holistically and that upstream passage should not be facilitated in isolation where downstream survival cannot be adequately achieved. Where monitoring indicates that sustainable downstream passage cannot be demonstrated, regulators may be required to impose conditions, refuse authorisations or consider alternative mitigation measures including modification or removal of structures.
I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the State Agency with responsibility for the protection, development and management of Ireland’s inland fisheries, that barriers to fish migration, including hydroelectric dams, are recognised as a significant pressure on salmon and other migratory species.
Under the Water Action Plan 2024, IFI is tasked with establishing a national restoration programme to mitigate the negative ecological impacts arising from historic barriers in Irish rivers and this work is being advanced through IFI’s Barrier Mitigation Division. The role of this Division is to implement a comprehensive, collaborative approach to mitigating barriers, supported by stakeholder engagement and funding schemes to ensure delivery of the National Barriers Mitigation Programme.
A key stakeholder in this area is the ESB, which is responsible for hydro generation operations and fisheries management on major rivers including the Shannon, Erne, Liffey and Lee. IFI engages with ESB’s Sustainable Rivers Team in relation to fish passage works, operational protocols and monitoring, including programmes for smolt migration and the National Eel Management Plan.
In relation to the River Lee at Inniscarra Dam, IFI advises that ESB implements mitigation measures, including the annual release of fin-clipped smolts below the dam. IFI continue to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures at Inniscarra and elsewhere and advises the relevant consenting authorities accordingly.