Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2025
63. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to address a by-law issue (details supplied) in place in Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2311/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraInland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the State Agency whose remit is to provide scientific and management to advice to me, as Minister, on legislative measures to preserve each of the individual salmon stocks around the country.
To safeguard stocks, the Draft Net and Snap Net Byelaw contains a general prohibition on the use of monofilament and multi-strand nets, in the context of conservation imperatives guided by management and scientific advice. This prohibition applies to all fisheries with two exceptions, Cork Harbour and Castlemaine Harbour, which are in place for a number of years.
The use of monofilament nets was permitted in both Castlemaine and Cork Harbour following a detailed study carried out by IFI and at a time when salmon were more abundant in these areas. This study was submitted to the then Minister in the context of setting out secondary legislation for salmon management. This method of fishing is currently under review by IFI in the light of the latest data and, for conservation reasons, there are no plans to extend its use to other areas.
The removal of this prohibition on a wider scale would be detrimental to the relevant fish stocks.
