Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
219. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason the Suir River in the Waterford fishery district will remain open for salmon angling in 2026 on a ‘catch and release’ basis considering that there is a known mortality with releasing fish alive after handling as per peer reviewed literature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72496/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe conservation limit (CL), applied by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS), to establish the status of individual stocks is the “maximum sustainable yield” (MSY) (also known as the stock level that maximises the long-term average surplus) as defined and used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO).
The CL is essentially the minimum number of returning salmon a river requires to ensure its stock remains healthy. In the absence of an advised surplus on a river, ‘Catch and Release only’ options are proposed for rivers meeting between 65% -100% of their CL for 2026 in line with scientific advice.
The harvesting of salmon is only permitted in stocks in rivers or associated estuaries which are above their CL, so that any harvest quota set will ensure that a stock is fished sustainably without impacting the viability of that stock.
The River Suir is currently below its CL and falls into the 65% -100% bracket and therefore it is proposed that it will be Catch and Release only for the 2026 season. The management recommendation, following the TEGOS advice for the last number of years on the River Suir, is for a catch and release regime. This is because there is not a surplus available for harvest.
Ireland manages its salmon populations on a river-by-river basis based on robust conservation-focused scientific advice. This is based on scientific stock assessments and associated sustainable catch advice provided by the independent TEGOS. Our salmon management regime follows international best practice as advised by the NASCO and ICES.
Estimates of direct catch and release caused-mortalities in Atlantic salmon vary between individual studies, with values ranging from as low as 3% mortality to as high as 40% mortality. Numerous interacting factors can influence the reported mortality rate including gear/angling technique (e.g. barbless or barbed hook, fly or lure, play time, air-exposure time) and life-stage (grilse, multi-sea winter, kelt) with higher water temperature consistently emerges as a major factor controlling mortality probability.
To date, the lethal and sub-lethal effects of catch and release angling have not directly been accounted for in the Irish salmon stock assessment and catch advice process. However, it is important to note that the current catch advice provided by TEGOS gives a measure of protection to particularly vulnerable river stocks (i.e. those meeting 65% of their conservation limit) by advising that no recreational fisheries should operate and thus such stocks are fully protected from any potential negative effects of catch and release as outlined above when the scientific thresholds are adhered to. In general, facilitating catch and release-only fishing on stocks somewhat below their CL, generates valuable catch data that can be used for stock assessment purposes which otherwise may not be available while also providing a socio-economic benefit.
The proposed salmon fisheries management measures for the 2026 season are currently available for Public Consultation. The Public Consultation process, conducted by my Department, is open for 30 days so as to allow stakeholder who have a vested interest review and submit comments during this period.
