Sir, - Rumour has it that the Minister for the Marine is running into a bit of trouble over his "save the salmon" task force. It is, however, from the national interest, absolutely imperative that he doesn't duck the issue, or there will be no salmon left to save - certainly not in the southern/ south eastern region.
He must take into account that back in the 1950s and before, traditional estuarine methods and angling were taking approximately 82 per cent of the national catch, and the offshore drift nets 18 per cent. How can it now be conceivably fair for the drift nets to receive a proposed 64 per cent of the quota, with rods and other methods to receive only the balance?
Many don't seem to realise that the salmon comes back to Ireland in an anti clockwise manner; so unless a strict and fair quota system is introduced, region by region, we in the south, with what were some of the best rivers in the country before the development of the modern drift net fishery, will be left with nothing. As it is now, all we've got in the Suir are some useless, late autumn run runts that have slipped through the barriers of mesh.
A fair quota system of non transferable, regional tags is the answer. This does not mean giving 50 per cent of the catch to some Johnny Come Lately opportunists in the north west, who 20 years ago were getting all equitable 10 per cent consistent with their region's size. Vitally, there must also be provision for preventing offshore dealing in untagged stock.
If this cannot be accomplished, then, as has been requested by the international bodies concerned, offshore drift netting should be banned completely, and the catching effort redirected to the estuaries and rivers. After all, the so it hardly makes sense to catch them on the wing before they get there. - Yours, etc.,
Clogheen,
Co Tipperary.