Figures show salmon stocks may be higher than acknowledged

National stocks of salmon are in a much healthier state than many anglers would like to admit, according to returns for 1998.

Overall figures indicate a 13.6 per cent increase, in a year when there were greater restrictions on catching. New conservation measures issued on foot of a 1996 Government task force re port have reduced the drift-net season considerably, and the manager of the South Western Regional Fisheries Board, Mr Aidan Barry, recently acknowledged that poaching was on the decline.

The returns, which are based on figures compiled by regional fisheries boards and submitted to the Marine Institute, show that fish caught by drift-net represented 69.6 per cent of the 1998 total, drift-net landings 12.5 per cent, trap 1.9 per cent and snap-net 0.4 per cent, with the estimated rod catch 15.6 per cent.

The Marine Institute acknowledges that the "estimate" for rod catches is a weakness in the system, but says that this should improve with the introduction of tagging from May 1st.

Apart from the east coast, where the figures are based on the number of boats involved in a fishery, statistics on commercial catches are compiled from dealers' registers, while rod-caught numbers are dependent on verbal reports from angling clubs.

The commercial sector has long maintained that it has been scape-goated in the argument over declining stocks, and the task force tried to forge a consensus between anglers and commercial licence-holders which would ensure survival of the prized stocks.

Mr David Neal, coastal representative of the Irish Fishermen's Organisation, said the figures indicated that the stocks were in a much healthier state than had been acknowledged heretofore.

Scientists had reported that the high seas feeding zone for the fish had expanded, and this had manifested itself in a better survival rate for grilse, he said.

He was still concerned about the state of spring salmon stocks, not reflected in the annual returns.

Proposed conservation measures drawn up at a seminar on spring salmon, hosted by the SRA and the Central Fisheries Board last September, had been submitted to the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, and the proceedings had recently been published. However, anglers did not need to wait for a directive from the Minister to agree on a voluntary code of practice, Dr Whelan said.