New Salmon Conservation Laws Announced For 2007
Press Release - 22nd December 2006

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board would like to inform all anglers that the new salmon and sea trout tagging regulations for 2007 have been signed today, the 22nd December 2006, by the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr John Browne, T.D. The new laws bring significant changes to salmon angling in the districts of Dublin, Wexford, Drogheda and Dundalk.

The regulations have been introduced in an effort to conserve our dwindling salmon stocks nationwide and they broadly follow advice laid out in the Report of the Independent Salmon Group launched in October. According to the report, most of the rivers in the Eastern Region were found to be below their conservation limits. As a result, the majority of rivers in the Eastern Region will be closed to salmon angling with the exception of the River Fane and the River Castletown (catch and release only). The Fane and Castletown rivers are the only 2 rivers in the Eastern Region that currently meet conservation limits.

In summary, angling is permitted/prohibited on the following rivers in the Eastern Region:

• Open for angling - River Fane

• Catch and Release - River Castletown

• Closed for all salmon and sea trout angling - Rivers Slaney and Liffey

• Closed to angling for salmon and sea trout over 40cm and open to angling for sea trout under 40cm;

  • Rivers Dee
  • Flurry
  • Glyde
  • Boyne
  • Dargle
  • Avoca
  • Owenavarragh
  • Vartry

For rivers that are closed, but where angling for sea trout, under 40cm, is permitted, single barbless hooks must be used and worms are prohibited as bait.

In the rivers that are open (when the bag limit has been reached), or where catch and release is to be practised, there is a ban on the use of worms and anglers must use single, barbless hooks. On rivers that are open for angling, there is an annual angling bag limit of 10 fish per angler for salmon or sea trout (over 40cm). Subject to the maximum annual bag limit of 10 fish an angler may take;

• 1 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day during the period from the 1st January to 12th May

• 3 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from 13th May to 31st August

• 1 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from the 1st September until the end of the fishing season

The ban on the sale of rod caught salmon or sea trout from 1st January to the 31st October remains. There will be no commercial fishing in the Eastern Region in 2007.

There are also new rod licence prices for 2007 to be used for rivers that are open and/or catch and release. For example, an A licence or annual salmon angling licence is now priced at €128; a B licence or district licence is €60; a R licence or 21 day licence is €48 and so on. A conservation stamp will apply in 2007, the purpose of which is to fund the rebuilding of our salmon resource in the future. All monies generated from this conservation stamp will fund the fisheries rehabilitation of rivers below the conservation limits. For example, if you purchase an annual salmon angling licence, €64 out of the total €128 sale will be contributed to the conservation fund. Full details on the conservation stamp contributions are listed below. Only 1 tag will be given with licences up to the 12th May 2007.

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board would like to thank all anglers, angling clubs and stakeholders for their assistance and co-operation over the years and although these new regulations are complex and represent great changes in salmon angling, we hope these measures will result in the return of salmon stocks to rivers in the east in the long term.

If you would like a copy of the recommendations in full, please email: info@erfb.ie or refer to the Department of Marine website: www.dcmnr.gov.ie.

Rod Licence Tariffs 2007

The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory authority whose function is to conserve, develop, protect, manage and promote the inland fisheries and sea angling resources within its jurisdiction. The Region extends from the border in Northern Ireland to South of the Wexford coast and includes all catchments which enter the sea between these boundaries.

For further information, please visit www.fishingireland.net.

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