Country File: Changing rules will not increase fish entering rivers
SALMON anglers, together with all others interested, will be heartened to learn of Inland Fisheries Ireland's willingness to listen to submissions regarding angling regulations for the 2026 angling season.
After concerns were raised about the effect previously proposed bag limits might have on angling tourism, there is now a chance these might be altered to allow a greater number of fish to be harvested.
But simply changing the rules will not increase the number of fish entering the rivers. It could even be counterproductive, in that some anglers might see this year as the last chance to take salmon for the table, and be inclined to take fish they might otherwise return to the water.
There are obvious threats to the survival of salmon that need to be addressed, if we are to see a properly sustainable and profitable fishery through the foreseeable future. Different people hold differing views as to the importance or relevance of these, and while I am in no position to prioritise one remedial action over another, it is worth giving brief consideration to the concerns that have been expressed.
It seems logical to start at the beginning, and for salmon that has to be spawning time.
We've discussed this before, and no doubt will need to do so again. Spawning gravels have been dredged from countless miles of river and stream, and now lie as heaps of spoil along almost every river bank. Giving the spawning stock plenty of choice in regard to their nuptial bed is of utmost importance.
We know that some important nursery areas still hold good stretches of gravel. But there is still room for improvement. Ireland is now very much in a minority when it comes to river channel management and flood mitigation. Elsewhere, slowing the flow by natural means has proven its worth. Relocation of excavated spoil from riverbank to riverbed will increase spawning areas and enable higher rates of juvenile fish recruitment.
Some will be keen to apply predator control measures, and will have their sights set on estuary seals. The only reason the seals are in the estuary at all is because there is ample food available. If the food wasn't there, the seals wouldn't be either.
Yes, they do eat some salmon and sea trout, but research has shown migratory fish make up only a small part of seal diet, with sandeel and flatfish by far the more common species eaten. Seals are highly visible and an easy target. Removing them will not help fish stocks in the least.
What about our salmon smolts, two- or three-year-old fish heading to sea for the first time? What is happening to them as they make their way up the west coast of Scotland, to the Faroe Islands and beyond?
Industrial fishing continues to take place along their migratory route, and if what we hear is correct, a great many smolts are taken as byecatch by so-called factory ships. More research is needed here before decisions can be made. Yet there appears little time for considered thought, only for swift action, and those who make a living from the sea are sure to object.
Even here at home the perrenial problem of poaching persists. Try that game in Scotland, where the issue is actually taken seriously.
Penalties for poaching can land you with a fine of up to £10,000 pounds for each salmon that finds its way into your nefarious bag, while being in possession of illegally caught fish might cost you as much as £40,000. In Ireland, fines scarcely amount to the value of one or two black market fish.
We actually know some of the answers. We just don't like them.