Tag Archives: Inland Fisheries ireland

A 50-year-old north Clare man convicted of the possession of an unlawfully captured high-value 12lb wild salmon has told a court “I don’t eat salmon”. At Kilrush District Court, James Mullane also admitted to Judge Mary Larkin that having the bludgeoned-to-death salmon in the boot of his car beside the Inagh River on the evening of May 20 2021 “does look bad, I know”. The father of two denied killing or injuring the 80cm long female salmon and said when taking the salmon from the river it was already “stone dead”. Mr Mullane of Monanagh, Ennistymon, said that he wanted to take the dead salmon home in order to take photos of it to highlight the impact a hydro turbine was having on the local salmon population. He said: “I was kind of angry with what happened to the fish.” Mr Mullane said that with fish on that stretch of the Inagh River at Ennistymon “if pollution doesn’t get them, …

A SALMON poacher threatened to stab a fisheries officer with a knife during a foot-chase on the west Clare coastline almost two years ago, a court has heard. At Kilrush District Court sitting in Ennis, Judge Mary Larkin convicted John Linnane (43) of making a threat to Inland Fisheries Ireland Officer, Raymond Byrne intending Mr Byrne to believe it would be carried out to kill or cause him serious harm at Carrowdotia, Killimer on June 1st 2020 contrary to Section 5 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. In evidence, Mr Byrne told the court that during the chase, Mr Linnane of Griffin Road, Kilrush said to him that “he wouldn’t do time for this and that he had a knife in this pocket and he would take it out and stab me with it”. Mr Byrne said that he then withdrew from the scene following Mr Linnane’s threat. He said: “I was taken aback by what he …

CLARE sea anglers are to play their part in online survey aimed at improving the management of stocks and in support of conservation efforts. This online survey seeks to collect information on the behaviours, attitudes and catch preferences of all Irish sea anglers. This information will feed into the Irish Marine Recreational Sea Angling Survey (IMREC) project where it will be analysed by researchers. Inland Fisheries Ireland has established this new programme which will give a clear picture of how fishing activities relate to stock levels. This work is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Dr Cathal Gallagher, Head of Research and Development at IFI said, “We know that there are approximately 126,000 sea anglers in Ireland and we hope that they will help us to find out how often people go fishing, what they catch and what they release. Sea angling is an important activity here in Ireland and we want to ensure the future of …

DESPITE the phased re-opening of inland fisheries around the region, some in the Clare angling community believe that it could be 2021 before any major competitions can go ahead. Last week, on advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) re-opened their facilities, with the exception of those in Galway and on the Moy. The ESB also re-opened fisheries, including those on the Shannon. In line with the NPHET road map for the reopening of the country, anglers can currently access waterways with 5km of their homes. From next Monday, angling in groups of up to four will be permitted. From June 8, subject to targets that underpin the road map, people will be allowed to travel 20km. At all stages of the re-opening, people must comply with social distance guidelines. In the east of the county, Anthony Weir of the Tulla and District Angling Club, said that while the re-opening of fisheries was a …

CLARE anglers may fish in locations less than or equal to five kilometres from their home following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has updated its advice regarding angling to reflect the latest Government and NPHET advice following representations from Clare Independent Deputy, Michael McNamara. IFI owned fisheries are open with the exception of the Galway and Moy fisheries. ESB fisheries are now also open to angling activity. The status of private and club run fisheries is a matter for the fishery manager or committee. The move follows Deputy McNamara’s proposal to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dáil last Thursday that anglers be allowed to resume fishing activity. The Taoiseach subsequently committed to reviewing the proposed easing of restrictions. “Fishing is a hugely popular pastime throughout Ireland and the mental health benefits of lifting restrictions for people who have been cooped up in their homes for so long is to be very much welcomed,” stated Deputy McNamara. …

A PROTEST letter, which included claims about the “detrimental effect Inland Fisheries Ireland’s current regime” is having on recreational angling, was delivered to the organisation’s CEO, Ciaran Byrne, before a recent conference. More than 60 anglers attended the protest, including retired ESB fishery staff and anglers from West Limerick, Kerry and Ennis, before the EU Mulkearlife Conference, at the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell. Two security guards manned the gate of the hotel with a crowd barrier, for what the organisers described as a very civilised protest, organised by the Limerick and District Anglers Association (LDAA). Attendees and speakers from Europe came out to talk to the anglers but IFI management stayed out of sight. The LDAA claimed it was completely “snubbed” by both MulkearLife and Inland Fisheries Ireland for this conference. “The association did not even receive a reply or acknowledgement to applications submitted by two of our members to attend, despite being the oldest and largest stakeholder …