Major rivers in the south-west are effectively being abandoned to poachers and some of the first wild Atlantic salmon caught in the region are turning up with their dorsal fins ripped by poachers' nets, a stinging letter from staff representatives to be read to the area's fisheries board has detailed.
The River Bandon, one of the top 20 angling rivers in the country, has no fishery officer. The River Lee, where fishery protection staff have been repeatedly assaulted, has had no fishery protection officer for the last three weeks.
Last year a delegation from protection staff got extra resources for the Lee, a poaching black spot, the letter will remind the board.
The core of fishery officers' work - that of protection of the Atlantic salmon - "is suffering the most", according to the letter to be read out at the next meeting of the South Western Regional Fisheries Board.
At least two full-time staff positions have not been filled because of government cutbacks and long-term temporary staff have been forced on to the dole queues "to stand side by side" with the poachers they once pursued.
"The temporary staff were always afforded the protection of the board and at the end of the day there was always the hope of a full-time position in the future," the staff will tell board members.
Office staff have also been cut, placing more administrative duties on fishery officers, already tied up with catchment management, tagging and freedom of information paperwork, according to the letter. The average age of fishery protection vehicles was over five years. They had huge mileage and needed to be replaced.
"The second and third salmon to be caught in the River Lee in February had their dorsal fins ripped off by the nets of poachers," the staff claimed.
Poaching was one of the biggest problems in south Kerry, a report to the board outlined last month. Most of the salmon caught on the Blackwater, an important tourist angling river, were damaged, most likely by illegal nets, the report on 2002 detailed.
The assistant chief executive of the board, Dr Patrick Buck, said cuts of about 6 per cent in the SWFRB's annual budget posed serious challenges. The board oversaw the longest coastline, from Ballycotton to Kerry Head, more than 1,000 km, as well as a multitude of river catchments and lakes. The region contained some of Ireland's main game and coarse fisheries. It also monitored water quality.
However, the board would ensure "we have enough staff when they are needed".
In 2002, expenditure was €2.3 million, of which €1.8 million was from the Exchequer. The board employed 32 staff and 18 temporary last year but had sought cuts this year. It already had a deficit last year of almost €90,000.