IFA Countryside

• NASCO has raised concerns about the potential for spread and establishment of Pacific pink salmon in rivers throughout the North Atlantic region
• Inland Fisheries Ireland issues an urgent appeal for anglers to remove and report any catches

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state agency responsible for the conservation and protection of freshwater fish and habitats, is issuing an alert for reports of any sightings of Pacific pink salmon.

At the recently held North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) meeting, serious concerns were raised that pink salmon may spread to and establish in rivers throughout the wider Atlantic region. These concerns are raised after an explosive growth in their stocks was observed in northernmost Norwegian rivers in 2021.

In some rivers there, pink salmon now appear to outnumber co-existing native Atlantic salmon stocks despite having persisted at relatively low levels for many decades prior to this.  Stocking programmes undertaken in rivers in the adjacent far northwest of Russia since the 1950s until 2001 are believed to be responsible for the initial spread of pink salmon to the region.  Since 2017, the fish has been increasingly detected in unprecedented numbers in river systems and coastal areas of the North Atlantic, including Ireland, albeit at relatively low levels here to date.

Also known as humpback salmon, pink salmon are a migratory species of salmon, native to river systems in the northern Pacific Ocean and nearby regions of the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. Although a single specimen was first recorded in Ireland in 1973, until 2017 individuals have been rarely encountered here. As pink salmon predominantly have a two-year lifecycle, there is potential for the species to reappear in Irish rivers again in 2023 and every second so called ‘odd’ year thereafter.  However, they can also turn up in ‘even’ years and a single specimen was reported in the River Suir in 2018.

Members of NASCO, of which Ireland is an active participant under the auspices of the European Union, have now agreed to cooperate to better understand the threats posed to native Atlantic salmon stocks and consider appropriate mitigation measures to address this increasingly concerning issue.

Francis O’Donnell CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “We are appealing to anglers and the general public to remain vigilant and report the presence of any Pacific pink salmon encountered in Irish river systems. The threat of pink salmon means that our already critically endangered Atlantic salmon are on the verge of a very serious ecological crisis. The species is already under threat from declining water quality, loss of habitat, and the impacts of sea lice and salmon farm escapes on native stocks. We will have to consider robust mitigation measures that may prove costly and labour intensive.”

Dr Cathal Gallagher, Head of Research and Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “The sudden increase in pink salmon stocks in northern Norway seen in 2021 and increased reporting of this non-native species in Irish rivers in recent years is of particular concern to IFI.  The presence of large numbers of pink salmon in Irish rivers could negatively impact some of our native species such as Atlantic salmon and sea trout as well as estuarine and coastal marine fish species and their associated ecosystems.  Despite only very limited information being currently available to comprehensively assess such threats, climatic and environmental conditions in Ireland are considered amenable to facilitate the potential establishment of Pacific pink salmon populations in our river systems.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland is appealing to anglers to report catches of pink salmon to Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 24-hour confidential hotline number – 0818 34 74 24 or 0818 FISH 24. As these fish die after spawning, some dead specimens could also be encountered along Irish rivers.  Anyone who catches a pink salmon is asked to:

• Keep the fish and do not release it back into the water (even in rivers only open for catch and release angling)
• Record the date & location of capture, and the length and weight of the fish
• Report it to any IFI office or via the 24-hour confidential hotline number – 0818 34 74 24 or 0818 FISH 24
• Tag the fish and present it to Inland Fisheries Ireland and a new tag will be issued to replace the tag used
• Take a photograph of the fish.

Inland Fisheries Ireland will then arrange collection of the fish for further examination. This will help establish the abundance and extent of distribution of the species in Irish waters.

ENDS

For media information:

Sadhbh O’Neill

Communications

Inland Fisheries Ireland

E: sadhbh.oneill@fisheriesireland.ie

T: 087 1019998

Photo Captions

Photo one: Pacific Pink Salmon 1- Mature male pink salmon with characteristic humpback and spotted tail (photo credit: Eva Thorstad, NINA).

Photo two: Pacific Pink Salmon 2- A Pacific pink salmon (photo credit:  Ola Ugeda).

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state agency responsible for the conservation and protection of freshwater fish, habitats and sea angling resources is asking anglers who have fished the Currane catchment in Co. Kerry for their views. A new online survey has been developed to gather anglers’ knowledge – the survey method called FLEKSI was developed by IFI to help give an insight into the status of the fishery.

Over recent decades populations of sea trout and salmon throughout Ireland are facing serious challenges from various ecological changes. IFI’s Currane STAMP programme is already assessing fish populations within their freshwater and marine phases to report current status and provide scientific advice to support the development of appropriate conservation management measures. 

The data gathered in the FLEKSI survey has the potential for citizens to get involved and provide important insights to guide fisheries management in the future. This survey is for all anglers who fish in the Currane catchment for various species. all responses will help us to build an understanding of the history and ecological status of your fishery.

FLEKSI, which stands for Fisher’s Local Ecological Knowledge Surveillance Indicators aims to capture anglers’ knowledge and hands-on experience to help track changes in fish stocks and ecosystems.

Dr William Roche, a Senior Research Officer with Inland Fisheries Ireland and manager of the STAMP project said: ‘Anglers are keen observers of nature and are aware of changes within their fisheries. We are looking for anglers to share their knowledge and contribute to the conservation and management of this important sea‑trout and salmon fishery. The Currane fishery is particularly highly regarded by anglers, but there is grave concern about the health of its fish stocks in recent years. By capturing these observations, which inevitably span an individual angler’s entire angling career, we believe their unique insight into the fisheries environment will help us to track and understand changes in Currane’s sea trout stocks and the ecosystem as a whole.’ 

The Currane catchment in Co. Kerry is Ireland’s most important sea trout fishery, with a long history of high-quality fishing, particularly for larger sea trout. The fishery is renowned internationally and has been the cornerstone of sea trout and salmon fishing in the southwest of the country since the 1900s.  The FLEKSI survey will give anglers on the Currane catchment an exciting opportunity to share their knowledge as citizen scientists and to make a valuable contribution towards fisheries management on the fishery.

If you fish the Currane system, please fill out the following survey here: https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/currane-anglers-survey-2022.

Each participant also can opt to enter into a prize draw for angling tackle, with one €200 voucher and one €100 voucher to be won.

ENDS

For media information:

Sadhbh O’Neill

Communications

Inland Fisheries Ireland

E : sadhbh.oneill@fisheriesireland.ie   

T : 087 1019998

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the state agency responsible for the conservation and protection of freshwater fish, habitats and sea angling resources, is launching a new survey that will tap into the knowledge of trout anglers in Lough Sheelin. The survey will use a method developed by IFI called FLEKSI, which will help to track ecological changes through local knowledge.

The new survey method named FLEKSI, which stands for Fisher’s Local Ecological Knowledge Surveillance Indicators, will feature questions for anglers about their trout catch and about different aspects of the fishery now compared with when they started fishing on the lake. Anglers spend many hours outside observing nature and the fish they catch. IFI recognizes that this accumulated local ecological knowledge is valuable and has potential for citizen science that can provide important insights for fisheries management into the future.

Wild brown trout are well-known to feed opportunistically on seasonal gluts of prey, especially swarms of insects, such as mayflies, midges, sedge-flies, etc. To select artificial flies and lures that “match the hatch”—mimicking prey that trout are feeding on—trout anglers closely observe the lake environment and its wildlife throughout the angling season.

Dr Samuel Shephard, a Senior Research Officer with Inland Fisheries Ireland and one of the developers of the FLEKSI method said: ‘We know how important anglers are as stewards of our fisheries resource and how attuned they are to changes in the lake environment from year to year. Anglers develop in-depth knowledge about their local lake fisheries over their angling career which can provide an important resource for fisheries science. With this new survey we want to use this unique insight to help track changes in Lough Sheelin’s trout stocks and ecosystems.’

Lough Sheelin located in Co. Cavan is one of Ireland’s most important wild brown trout fisheries, with a history of dramatic environmental changes over the last 40 years. The FLEKSI survey will give trout anglers on Lough Sheelin an exciting opportunity to share their knowledge as citizen scientists and to make a valuable contribution towards fisheries management on the lake.

If you fish for trout on Lough Sheelin, please take the opportunity to share your knowledge by following the link here: https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/fleksi-survey-sheelin-anglers-2022

Each participant also has the opportunity to enter into a prize draw for angling tackle, with one €200 voucher and two €100 vouchers to be won.

About Inland Fisheries Ireland (www.fisheriesireland.ie)

Inland Fisheries Ireland is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication (DECC) and was established under the Fisheries Act on 1st July 2010. Its principal function is the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. Inland Fisheries Ireland promotes supports, facilitates and advises the Minister on the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries, including sea angling. Inland Fisheries Ireland also develops policy and national strategies relating to inland fisheries and sea angling and advises the Minister on same (fisheriesireland.ie).

Protection and Development posts opening up in Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary and Wexford

Inland Fisheries Ireland, the state agency responsible for the protection, conservation, development and promotion of freshwater fish, habitats and sea angling, is launching its recruitment drive today to hire forty-nine Seasonal Fisheries Officers.

The six-month posts are divided across seven River Basin Districts, covering sixteen counties with recruitment getting underway immediately.

Seasonal Fisheries Officers will join teams over the summer months to help protect, conserve and develop fisheries resources working in and around Ireland’s lakes, rivers and coastlines.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is looking for candidates for both ‘protection’ and ‘development’ roles and they will play a crucial part in the agency’s plans for 2022, according to its Chief Executive Officer, Francis O’ Donnell. Launching the recruitment drive today, O’ Donnell said: “Our new Seasonal Fisheries Officers will be joining us on the frontlines, helping to protect, maintain and conserve this country’s natural resources. As an environmental agency, enforcement, protection and development are a big focus for us. For example, our teams undertake over 30,000 patrols around the clock every year, including patrols by foot, e-bike, vehicle and boat. At the same time, our development teams ensure the sustainability of fisheries habitat, enabling access for this generation and for future generations.” 

Inland Fisheries Ireland’s HR Director, Róisín Bradley, says the roles would particularly appeal to those who enjoy working outdoors, adding: “Our Officers working in protection will spend a lot of their time patrolling lakes, rivers and coastlines. While Officers working in development will also spend a lot of their time around lakes and rivers, as they build, repair and maintain structures. Those that enjoy being close to nature and working outdoors, in all types of weather, are likely to find these roles very appealing and rewarding.”

Meanwhile, Inland Fisheries Ireland staff from five districts are lending their support to the recruitment drive and appearing in promotional videos to raise awareness about the new posts on offer. They are Maureen Byrne (Drogheda District), Andrew Crosbie (Cavan District), José Peréz (Kerry District), Aoife Walsh (Tralee District) and Christine Meehan (Lismore District).

The agency plans to launch a second recruitment drive later in the year for Seasonal Research Assistants.

Those interested in applying for a six-month Seasonal Fisheries Officer role can apply on-line at www.fisheriesireland.ie/careers, before the deadline of Monday, February 21^st 2022

A new report published by Inland Fisheries Ireland shows that more wild salmon are now being ‘caught and released’ than ‘caught and kept’ by anglers in Ireland, to help conserve declining fish populations.

For the first time since records began in 2001, the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2020 shows that the number of salmon caught and released by anglers (51% of salmon caught) now outstrips the number of salmon that are kept (49% of salmon caught).

In all, 14,138 wild salmon and sea trout licences were issued to recreational anglers in 2020, while 78 public licences were made available to commercial fishermen. Inland Fisheries Ireland’s newly-published report is based on the logbook returns of these licence holders, which shows that recreational anglers caught an estimated 78% of all salmon and sea trout last year, compared with commercial fishermen’s catch of 22%.

The Chairperson of Inland Fisheries Ireland, Fintan Gorman, praised the conservation efforts of anglers, clubs and federations around the country, saying: “Looking at statistics from the 2020 Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Report, it is encouraging to see anglers practicing ‘catch and release’ to a greater extent than ever before. Anglers released 51% of their wild salmon catches in 2020, compared with 47% in 2019 and that’s a very positive development.”

He added: “However, ‘catch and release’ angling by itself won’t solve the problem of declining fish populations, such as wild salmon or sea trout. That’s why Inland Fisheries Ireland will continue implementing other important measures too, such as fish barrier mitigation, water quality monitoring, ‘invasive species’ control and enforcement patrols of fisheries. We will also keep promoting the sustainable stewardship of our precious salmon fishery through our schools and marketing programmes. These are all crucial factors in protecting and conserving our fish populations and their habitats for the benefit of this generation and future generations to come.”

The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme provides the state agency with data to assist with the protection, management and conservation of wild salmon and sea trout.

The Chief Executive Officer of Inland Fisheries Ireland, Francis O’ Donnell, has also welcomed the positive conservation efforts being made by citizens across the country to protect Ireland’s salmon and sea trout resource. He said: “Atlantic Salmon and sea trout are facing a very uncertain future due to habitat degradation, water quality issues, unacceptable levels of poaching, marine migration issues and the effects of climate change. As always, our staff are deeply committed to executing our statutory role to enforce, protect and conserve our native fish stocks and in particular salmon and migratory sea trout. This is very much aligned with our new corporate plan and vision as the statutory agency charged with protecting the Inland Fisheries Resource.”

According to the organisation’s 2020 report, five rivers accounted for over half of all salmon caught by anglers and commercial fishermen last year. These were: the River Moy in Co. Mayo, the River Blackwater in Lismore, Co. Waterford, the River Laune in Co. Kerry, the Corrib in Co. Galway and the Lower Lee in Cork.

27,829 wild salmon were caught collectively by commercial fishermen and recreational anglers in 2020, including salmon which were later released. For sea trout, the total catch recorded last year was 1,394 when figures for commercial fishermen and anglers are combined.

Meanwhile, between now and December 1^st, Inland Fisheries Ireland is running a public consultation on the future management of the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme. The state agency is encouraging anyone with an interest in the area to submit their views on how the tagging system can be improved and modernised. It is especially keen to hear from salmon and sea trout anglers, angling clubs, commercial fishermen and those businesses that distribute salmon and sea trout licences, such as fishing tackle shops.

More information about the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2020 and the current public consultation about the tagging scheme can be found on www.fisheriesireland.ie

ENDS

For media information

Sarah Bohan

Communications Manager

Inland Fisheries Ireland

E: sarah.bohan@fisheriesireland.ie

T: 087 65 39936

Photography note: archive images of Atlantic salmon are available, reproduction-free.

Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Statistics Report 2020

The full 2020 Report can be downloaded from the Inland Fisheries Ireland website here