Post by Davy Telford on Feb 18, 2012 15:28:34 GMT
Salmon Netting at Sea in Northern Ireland
The Ulster Angling Federation welcomes the information today from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) that they cannot legally issue licences to net salmon this year due to the perilous status of the salmon population. This comes about as a direct result of the Ulster Angling Federation challenge to DCAL policy at the European Union Environment Directorate in Brussels. The Federation can confirm that the remaining salmon nets are in breach of the Habitats Directive as they are mixed stock fisheries, and as such are illegal due to the stock collapse on the River Finn in Donegal, a Special Area of Conservation for salmon. Sadly DCAL for some years refused to see commonsense. Following a meeting at the EU in Brussels on January 24th, DCAL have moved now in the face of threats of huge fines from Europe.
The anglers have always taken the lead in salmon conservation, and recently have exerted very considerable pressure at Stormont on this issue via the “No To Salmon Nets” group. MLAs Robin Swann and Danny Kinahan have also worked extremely hard, and have been instrumental in focusing pressure on the issue. The Ulster Angling Federation policy on salmon has not changed since we commenced our campaigns on salmon in the late 1980s. This work intensified in the early 1990s and in 1993 we set up our sister organisation the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NI), which led directly to the buyouts of some 225 salmon nets in NI.
Despite a long series of meetings and correspondence over a number of years between The Ulster Angling Federation, the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NI), and DCAL, this Department continued to licence the remaining Mixed Stock Interceptory salmon Net Fishery which has been taking salmon destined for a large number of rivers in NI that are not meeting their Conservation Limit, and also the River Finn.
Under European law, DCAL have failed to make an appropriate assessment under article 6(3) of a plan or project likely to have a significant effect on the conservation status of a species (Salmo Salar) for which a Candidate Special area for Conservation has been identified in Ireland (the river Finn).
They have licenced and allowed the killing of an Annex II directed species without taking account of or consulting other member nations on the impact upon their SAC (the river Finn) of that licenced activity.
The Ulster Angling Federation policy remains the same as it has always been; that there is no future for commercial salmon netting, and that exploitation by rods only, with appropriate limits, offers the only prospect of a continued salmon presence in our rivers.
Local Angling Associations have worked extremely hard for many years to conserve, protect, and enhance not only the fishery on rivers, but the entire river environment. This is important for its own sake, but also benefits local people and increasingly, visitors. Countless (voluntary) man-hours and hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent to improve rivers and associated fisheries: these Associations continue to provide a self-financing and voluntary community-based effort to look after the rivers. A huge effort is now underway to protect and conserve the salmon.
Accordingly, in recognition of the parlous state of most salmon stocks in the Province, the Ulster Angling Federation recommend that as salmon numbers are at a historically low point, angling associations give serious consideration to the immediate introduction of ‘catch and release’ for salmon in order to protect stocks.
We must now build on this success of the Habitats Directive in protecting the remaining salmon stock and work across a range of measures to conserve and enhance this wonderful fish for the future.
The Ulster Angling Federation welcomes the information today from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) that they cannot legally issue licences to net salmon this year due to the perilous status of the salmon population. This comes about as a direct result of the Ulster Angling Federation challenge to DCAL policy at the European Union Environment Directorate in Brussels. The Federation can confirm that the remaining salmon nets are in breach of the Habitats Directive as they are mixed stock fisheries, and as such are illegal due to the stock collapse on the River Finn in Donegal, a Special Area of Conservation for salmon. Sadly DCAL for some years refused to see commonsense. Following a meeting at the EU in Brussels on January 24th, DCAL have moved now in the face of threats of huge fines from Europe.
The anglers have always taken the lead in salmon conservation, and recently have exerted very considerable pressure at Stormont on this issue via the “No To Salmon Nets” group. MLAs Robin Swann and Danny Kinahan have also worked extremely hard, and have been instrumental in focusing pressure on the issue. The Ulster Angling Federation policy on salmon has not changed since we commenced our campaigns on salmon in the late 1980s. This work intensified in the early 1990s and in 1993 we set up our sister organisation the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NI), which led directly to the buyouts of some 225 salmon nets in NI.
Despite a long series of meetings and correspondence over a number of years between The Ulster Angling Federation, the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NI), and DCAL, this Department continued to licence the remaining Mixed Stock Interceptory salmon Net Fishery which has been taking salmon destined for a large number of rivers in NI that are not meeting their Conservation Limit, and also the River Finn.
Under European law, DCAL have failed to make an appropriate assessment under article 6(3) of a plan or project likely to have a significant effect on the conservation status of a species (Salmo Salar) for which a Candidate Special area for Conservation has been identified in Ireland (the river Finn).
They have licenced and allowed the killing of an Annex II directed species without taking account of or consulting other member nations on the impact upon their SAC (the river Finn) of that licenced activity.
The Ulster Angling Federation policy remains the same as it has always been; that there is no future for commercial salmon netting, and that exploitation by rods only, with appropriate limits, offers the only prospect of a continued salmon presence in our rivers.
Local Angling Associations have worked extremely hard for many years to conserve, protect, and enhance not only the fishery on rivers, but the entire river environment. This is important for its own sake, but also benefits local people and increasingly, visitors. Countless (voluntary) man-hours and hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent to improve rivers and associated fisheries: these Associations continue to provide a self-financing and voluntary community-based effort to look after the rivers. A huge effort is now underway to protect and conserve the salmon.
Accordingly, in recognition of the parlous state of most salmon stocks in the Province, the Ulster Angling Federation recommend that as salmon numbers are at a historically low point, angling associations give serious consideration to the immediate introduction of ‘catch and release’ for salmon in order to protect stocks.
We must now build on this success of the Habitats Directive in protecting the remaining salmon stock and work across a range of measures to conserve and enhance this wonderful fish for the future.
