Salmon farmers criticise research on increasing sea trout as misdirected

Irish research efforts to protect the sea trout species and restore its stock numbers are misdirected and a waste of taxpayers' money, according to the Irish Salmon Growers' Association.

The fish farmers have commissioned a research paper on how sea trout may be better protected. It recommends a greater focus on the lifecycle of the fish, which has had sharp population declines since 1989 in many of Ireland's prime fisheries.

The paper notes that even in good years the fish has a natural mortality rate at sea of between 75 and 80 per cent.

The paper, which advocates a new management strategy for the fish, has been forwarded to the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods. The ISGA said its approach - despite its highly critical comments on State research, notably at fishery board level - was an effort to pursue a fresh start on the issue and put aside bitter recrimination associated with the Irish sea trout resource in recent years. "The really relevant questions about the state of Irish sea trout stocks are being left unasked," said ISGA spokesman Mr Richie Flynn.

It criticises the way stocks are monitored, though it is understood the Marine Institute is addressing this shortcoming. "Only three sea trout rivers have electronic counters installed to monitor fish populations. Every other scrap of information about sea trout stocks is taken from irrelevant rod catch figures (because catch statistics are meaningless unless they are related to catching effort), unreliable trap data and anecdotal, unverifiable stories."

It contains the findings of a survey of four west of Ireland rivers where it was alleged the fish was in decline. It is based on "catch per unit effort", which in the absence of electronic counter is said to be the best survey method.

The numbers found, it says, suggest populations were in as good if not better health than before the 1989-90 collapse - the Save Our Seatrout campaign group has been disturbed by other indications that since 1995 there has been a return to stock decline after some years of improvement.

The ISGA cites the case of Waterville sea trout fishery in Co Kerry where electronic counter data relating to 1993-94 suggest its sea trout stocks "were never in any danger of decline."

Sampling during 1997 was concentrated on sea lice occurrence on the fish, it notes. Thousands of fish were killed without further analysis of their physical health, examination for disease or other parasites. Factors such as the impact of brown trout population trends, increased river pollution and acidification had not been scientifically studied, the ISGA claims.

It also disputes the merits of a sea trout fishing ban when in the only river where it has been slightly relaxed - the Costelloe/Fermoyle system in Connemara - 1,200 sea trout were caught in 1996 and about 500 so far this year. "It is also located near one of the most active salmon farming bays in Ireland," Mr Flynn said.

Restocking procedures are questioned by the ISGA on the basis that ideal population levels for sea trout rivers had not been worked out. ISGA research had established, he added, "the most significant potential source of sea lice for sea trout comes from wild salmon populations".

For their part, salmon farmers had led the way on sea lice control and devised strategies now being adopted in other countries. In its document, A Fresh Start, the ISGA outlines how a new management plan should be structured to promoting "a forward-looking consensual approach" focused on the sea trout rather than fish farms.

"Fish farmers will never accept their activities harm wild stocks unless concrete evidence is produced to prove otherwise," Mr Flynn said - SOS believes a link has been established.