Call on minister to visit Mayo salmon hatchery amid closure concerns
MAYO Aontú TD Paul Lawless has issued an appeal to the Minister of State, calling for an immediate intervention and site visit to the Cong Salmon Hatchery before Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) proceeds with its decision to close the facility.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Lawless criticised the process behind the proposed closure.
“The decision to close this facility was taken without any environmental or tourism impact assessment,” he stated. “When I asked the minister what analysis was done on fish stocks or tourism, the astonishing reply was that none was carried out.”
Deputy Lawless continued: “The Cong Hatchery is a proven national asset and a cornerstone of the regional economy - not merely an outdated facility.
“Established in the 1960s to save salmon stocks, it has become a model of conservation success for over 50 years. Smolts bred here achieve high return rates from the Atlantic and play a crucial role in protecting and replenishing wild salmon stocks throughout the Corrib system.”
He described the hatchery as 'one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in Mayo - the jewel in the crown of the tourism sector in south Mayo', noting its role in sustaining hundreds of jobs across Cong, Ballinrobe, and the wider region through angling tourism.
Deputy Lawless also challenged the scientific rationale being used to justify the closure.
“The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) recognises that well-managed hatcheries can play a vital role in conservation. The data being used against Cong distorts that guidance and ignores its proven track record,” he claimed.
And he warned of the long-term consequences of shutting down the hatchery: “If we see another environmental disaster like the one in the River Blackwater, we will rue the day we closed this facility. Shutting it now creates an unnecessary and enormous liability - rebuilding it later would cost the State millions.”
Deputy Lawless has formally written to the Minister of State, demanding an immediate pause on the proposed closure, an independent review of the hatchery’s contribution, a full impact assessment on fish stocks and tourism, and a site visit to Cong to witness its value firsthand.
“I am inviting the minister to come to Cong to see for himself the value of this hatchery,” he concluded. “Before this vital facility is lost, I urge him to pause, reflect, and understand what’s truly at stake - not just for tourism, but for the future of Ireland’s wild salmon stocks.”