Tuesday 11th October 2005

URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO STOP SALMON DRIFT NETTING
States IHF

While the Irish Hotel’s Federation (IHF) today acknowledged the publication today of a report on Salmon Drift Netting, Draft Netting and Angling by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Sub Committee, it reiterated a call which it made earlier this year to implement a scheme to terminate drift net fishing of salmon. The IHF welcomes the committee’s statement in the report that the survival of the salmon species is paramount. It has called on the Government to take immediate action to devise a scheme to bring an end to drift netting, a practice which is decimating the salmon stocks in Irish and European rivers and is having an enormously detrimental effect on the angling tourism industry.

According to the Federation, since 1999 there has been a halving in the number of salmon angling tourists coming to Ireland from 54,000 to 27,000 per year.

            “Angling tourism is worth €55 million to the economy every year,” IHF Chief Executive, John Power said.  “The Committee’s report today highlights the vital importance of this natural tourism asset and why we now need to take action to protect it.  When you consider there has been a 50% drop in the number of angling tourists coming to the country over the last six years it is extremely important that we do all we can to reverse this trend as soon as possible.”

The IHF is also calling for a compensation scheme to be introduced so as to ensure that drift netting is permanently banned.  “The drop from 54,000 salmon angling tourists in 1999 to 27,000 can clearly be linked to the decline in our salmon stocks and the negative international publicity we have received due to the State’s stance on drift netting.  Once that practice is eradicated, as outlined in the Committee’s report, salmon stocks should increase and the angling tourism industry should be boosted by the positive publicity we will receive for taking these necessary measures,” John Power said.

“If the quickest and fairest method of eradicating this practice is to pay compensation to the anglers then the Government needs to give careful consideration to such a measure.  It is worth noting that angling tourists spend an average of 14 days in the country, a particularly important point given the difficulty the tourism industry is currently having in encouraging the regional spread, and maintaining the length of stay, of visitors throughout the country.”

“The tourist industry contributes over €2.3 billion annually to the Irish exchequer, and of every Euro spent in the country by a foreign tourist, over 52 cent ends up in the coffers of the exchequer. Therefore the principal funder of any buy out scheme should be the Government. The buy out of the drift net salmon licenses should be considered by the Government in the same manner as, and funded in a similar fashion to, the case of the €45 million decommissioning scheme for white fish vessels announced earlier this year. Another important statistic that the Government should bear in mind is that the average contribution to the economy for a wild salmon caught by an angling tourist is estimated to be €423 compared to €22 for one caught by drift netting,” Mr. Power concluded.

ENDS

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