Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has alerted TDs and Senators to a drastic reduction in wild salmon populations in Ireland’s rivers and lakes, a problem it describes as “catastrophic”. According to numbers provided by the agency, once responsibility for preserving the country’s inland fishery resources, the count of returning wild salmon slid from 1.76 million in 1975 to only 171,700 in 2022.
Dr Cathal Gallagher, the deputy head of this authority, shared these concerns with the Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts. Additionally, he revealed that the number of European eels has reduced significantly in the same time span.
To combat these declining numbers, the IFI plans to invest €110 million in the removal of obstructions that prevent fish from migrating, beginning this year through 2027. These barriers can be anything such as weirs, bridges, or culverts, as well as hydroelectric power stations or debris accumulated in water bodies.
In further efforts to save the salmon, the IFI, representing the state, will conduct a weeklong international conference later this year, in cooperation with the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation.
Moreover, Dr. Gallagher disclosed that the IFI’s board has recently approved the sale of the Aasleagh cottages in County Mayo. However, the organisation will hold onto Aasleagh Lodge to serve as a global hub for salmonid research and an educational centre.
Dr Gallagher appealed for a substantial review of penalties related to environmental and wildlife infractions in order to deter potential wrongdoers and to encourage sustainability. He also suggested that more thought be given to widening the jurisdiction of officials from various organisations to enforce environmental and wildlife laws.
Dr Gallagher confirmed that Inland Fisheries Ireland has faced extreme challenges over the past few years, as highlighted in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. He mentioned systematic reforms being made within IFI under their administration.
In his document, Seamus McCarthy, the Comptroller and Auditor General, referred to several problems he had previously underlined in his 2002 report, which was made public in November 2023. The concerns included the exploitation of Aasleagh Lodge and its cottages between August 2014 and July 2022. Other issues related to IFI pulling out of legal proceedings based on advice, and several disclosures made in 2021 and 2022 to both the Department of the Environment and IFI itself.
Additionally, he expressed that his office is further scrutinising several management and value-related matters within IFI. He anticipates producing a document with significant observations in the coming months.
Deputy Catherine Murphy stated that one of the abandoned legal proceedings was linked to a fish population drop in the Rye river in the Leixlip, Co Kildare region. She reported that the incident resulted in the death of 500 wild trout and additional aquatic species. She affirmed that the event led to calls for immediate action and it severely dented the confidence of the local fish population nurturers in the authority. Murphy concluded by remarking that the river’s recovery would be a matter of years.