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Ireland Bans Drift Netting for Salmon
Nov 02,2006 00:00
by
SACN
After years of protests by groups concerned at the continued depletion of the once almost abundant stocks of salmon in the North East Atlantic, the Irish Government have finally decided to end the drift net fishery. This will be good news for the many enterprises, and those whose livelihoods depend upon the valuable recreational salmon fisheries in Europe, although for many the move comes far too late. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- News release 1 November 2006 Salmon & Trout Association applauds brave decision to close the Irish Drift Net Fishery The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) welcomes the Irish Government’s decision to ratify the Irish Salmon Group’s Report recommendation to end all drift netting for salmon off the Republic of Ireland’s coast from 2007. This is a major and vital step forward in Atlantic salmon conservation. S&TA’s director, Paul Knight, says, “the Irish Government, and in particular, Noel Dempsey T.D., the Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, should be congratulated for tackling a difficult issue with a robust policy decision in favour of salmon conservation, especially that the drift net fishery should close permanently, with a fair compensation package paid to commercial fishermen who will be impacted by the closure.” Knight continues, “this will benefit not only Irish rivers, but those in England, Wales, Scotland and several other European countries. Irish drift nets stop salmon from returning to rivers in countries with endangered and protected salmon populations. Every wild salmon that is able to survive life at sea and swim back to its home river to spawn is critical for the survival of that river’s unique salmon population.” The decision is just reward for the pressure exerted on the Irish Government over many years by NGO groups and individuals, including Niall Green of Stop Drift Nets Now, Brian Marshall of the Wessex Salmon & Rivers Trust, Orri Vigfusson of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, the European Anglers Alliance and the S&TA, who raised support for action and ensured that the issue remained central to agendas within the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) over the past decade. However, there are potential problems with the implementation of some of the Irish Salmon Group’s secondary recommendations, not least being the suggestion that the sale of rod caught salmon should be permitted. S&TA, many of whose members fish in Ireland and spend significant amounts of money in local community economies, strongly opposes such a recommendation, on the grounds that the point of slaughter will merely be moved from the ocean to the riverbank, thus potentially negating any benefit to conservation of stocks. S&TA also believes that catch and release of fly-caught fish should be used on Irish rivers as a management tool, allowing the socio economic benefits of angling to continue while, at the same time, allowing the vast majority of salmon to escape to spawn. The presence of anglers on the riverbank is a deterrent to poaching, and anglers are often the first people to pick up the signs of pollution incidents or any other problems affecting the health of rivers. Income derived from anglers is also a major source of funding in-river management and conservation projects. “Now, there must be a commitment to fund increased anti-poaching enforcement to ensure that salmon saved from the drift nets do not end up illegally killed and sold.” “However”, Knight concludes, “the major issue here is that Irish drift netting will be banned, and this is a tremendous and needed boost to European salmon conservation. ENDS For further information Carmel Jorgensen, S&TA tel. 0207 283 5838 The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) established in 1903 is the only organisation representing all game anglers in the UK at the highest levels to influence and change Government legislation, policy and management practices to protect and improve the water environment and the quality of fishing. S&TA promotes flyfishing by introducing people of all backgrounds to game angling and communicating the environmental, social and economic benefits of angling. NASCO is an inter-governmental organisation comprising all countries in the North Atlantic area which have significant salmon populations. It develops standards for the management of salmon and monitors the status of stocks through commissions with the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). NASCO has signed all Parties up to resolutions covering the Precautionary Principle, the ending of all Mixed Stock Fisheries in home waters and the Williamsburg Resolution, which seeks to reduce the impact of aquaculture on wild salmonid species. Carmel Jorgensen Policy, Campaigns and Communications S&TA (Salmon & Trout Association) UK Tel. 020 7283 5838 Email. carmel@salmon-trout.org Web. www.salmon-trout.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A compensation fund of € 30 mill. has been approved to pay commercial driftnet fishermen over 5 times their annual salmon income so that Ireland will no longer be in breach of the EU Habitats directive in 2007. The Minister for the Marine, Noel Dempsey TD, is to be applauded for taking the Independent Salmon Group's (ISG) recommendations to ban drift-netting to the Cabinet against much opposition. The rivers of Europe can now hope for a recovery process to begin as their salmon will no longer be intercepted by the Irish driftnets. Others in the feeding countries such as Greenland, Faroe Islands and Iceland will now see some reward for their decision to forego netting rights to fish for salmon as a part of an international drive to help speed the recovery. The EAA were joined in Brussels today with Ireland's premier salmon angling body, Federation of Irish Salmon and Seatrout Anglers (FISSTA), who has led the campaign for the lifetime of six Irish Governments in conjunction with the North Atlantic Salmon Fund. Notes to Editors: EAA, European Anglers Alliance is the pan-European umbrella organisation for recreational angling having as members angling peak bodies from 17 European nations with 5 million affiliated anglers. Stop Now! campaign: http://www.stopnow.ie/ Dublin, 1st November 2006 Noel Dempsey T.D., the Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, today announced that the Government has adopted the key recommendations of the report by the Independent Working Group on Salmon. The key recommendation of this report is the creation of a hardship fund for those affected by the compulsory buy-out of drift net fishermen. The Government's primary motivation in adopting the report is that of conservation of the wild salmon species, which has long been regarded as one of Ireland's most prized fish, instilled in our traditional mythology as the Bradán feasa, the salmon of knowledge, and valued as a cultural and economic resource. Expert scientific advice available shows marine survival of salmon in the North Atlantic has decreased significantly in the past decade. Less than half to one third of the salmon returning to rivers in the 1970s and 1980s are currently returning to Irish rivers. In this regard it is vital to afford every protection to the remaining stocks and to clearly prioritise conservation over catch. The current imperative must be to maintain stocks above conservation limits or at the very least halt the decline. The Government realise that these proposals will entail hardship for commercial fishermen and vulnerable coastal communities. To offset this they have established a hardship scheme for those affected. This fund, worth over €25 million, will give each fishermen a payment equal to six times their average annual catch over the period 2001-2005 multiplied by the average price per salmon over the period (€23). Each fisherman will also receive a payment equal to six times the current licence fee. From now on we can expect our management of wild salmon will be based on an individual river basis. This is a quantum leap from our previous management of the fishery and will ensure that we can optimise the potential benefit of returning salmon, as well as ensuring that in each river salmon stocks will in time return to a healthy status. For further media information, please contact: |