Monday 6th March 2006

MINISTER URGED TO INTRODUCE BUY OUT SCHEME FOR DRIFT NETTING
States IHF

The Irish Hotel’s Federation (IHF) today called on Minister for State John Browne to introduce a buyout scheme for fishermen involved in drift net fishing for wild Atlantic salmon. The call follows the recommendations of the National Salmon Commission to cease the practice at the end of the year.  

Speaking at the IHF Annual Conference in Dublin, Chief Executive John Power said “The Minister is in a unique position to make a real impact on the conservation of the Atlantic Salmon and on our angling tourism. We urge the Minister to face up to the drift netting issue, a practice which has seen the depletion of salmon stocks in Irish  and European rivers and undermined the entire angling tourism sector here.  Not withstanding the impact of foot and mouth, the fact is that anglers are staying away because of poor conservation practices and the lack of fishing in rivers once teeming with salmon.  Since 1999 the number of salmon angling tourists coming to Ireland has halved from 54,000 to 27,000 per year.  We would also ask the Minister to put in a comprehensive plan that would put an end to drift net fishing but equally ensure that the main beneficiaries are not draft netsmen fishing in the estuaries, as this would be self defeating in terms of restoring the stock”, stated Mr. Power.

According to Mr. Power, angling tourism as a business is currently worth €55 million to the economy every year and has the potential to add a much needed boost to regional tourism. The angling tourist is estimated to be €423 compared to €22 for one caught by drift netting and spends an average of 14 days in Ireland.

“The exchequer would ultimately benefit in the longer term through increased angling tourism revenues. There are already precedents for buy outs both in fishing and agriculture.  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 last year”, stated Mr. Power.

Continuing Mr. Power said “There was a time when Ireland enjoyed a thriving angling tourism business, the rapid decline and the failure to conserve the stock has seen that business cut in half. Not alone has the Government failed in the past to grasp the nettle on this issue, its inactivity has seriously damaged a key tourism asset that was the envy of other countries. Ireland is out of step with the rest of Europe and now has a much tarnished reputation among both anglers and conservationists. 

According to Mr. Power failure to address the issue at this stage only undermines the efforts of the Minister for Tourism who recently announced the 3 Super Regions initiative aimed at increasing regional tourism.   “ We urge Minister Browne to show some solidarity and to end drift netting now, in line with the Commission’s recommendations, so that the natural resource can once more be enhanced and assist our regional tourism business”,  he said.

Concluding Mr. Power said “At a time when we are seriously trying to increase visitor numbers to the regions and competing head on with other destinations, investing in marketing Ireland as a destination it is entirely incomprehensive that one of our most important assets continues to be undermined in what can only be described as total negligence and disregard of our natural heritage”.

For information:
Niamh Boylan / Winifred McCourt            Tel: 01 6760168
Weber Shandwick FCC                Mobiles: 086 380 9191 / 087 2446004