Post by Peter Terndrup on Nov 2, 2006 18:46:49 GMT
Did recive this from Orri Vigfusson today:
SALMON CONSERVATION WINS THE DAY: NOVEMBER 1 2006
It has taken many years of pressure by NASF and its allies in Ireland and the other European countries but at last the Irish Government has agreed to stop drift netting of salmon in its coastal waters.
The government announced today that it was adopting the key recommendations of the Independent Working Group on Salmon for a compulsory buyout of the drift netting licences. It is setting up a hardship fund of over €25 million to address the financial losses that the netsmen will suffer. Another €5 million will be set aside to help rural communities overcome the loss of income from the closure of the drift netting.
In an effort to allow more salmon to reach their spawning grounds estuary netsmen will be allowed to volunteer to join the buyout scheme.
Fifty years ago a small number of Irish inshore fishermen were helped to make a living by the huge shoals of salmon that swam close to the coast of Ireland as they returned to European rivers from their feeding grounds in northern waters. Only a small percentage of the fish were caught. as the salmon could often see and avoid the thick and clumsy hemp nets then in use.
When near-invisible monafilament nets were invented hundreds of new salmon licences were issued and the once-modest fishery mushroomed into a giant industry that was soon killing half a million salmon or more annually. Despite the Atlantic-wide decline in salmon numbers in recent years successive Irish fishery ministers refused to curb the over-fishing or accept the advice of their own scientists.
Finally, when it became clear that Irish salmon stocks were falling far faster than elsewhere, a quota system was introduced. The quotas figures were set so high, however, that the drift nets were allowed to take an ever-increasing share of the total European salmon catch. As a result, great damage has been done to the wild salmon stocks of Irish rivers and those of its European neighbours. Conservationists are now hoping that many thousands of salmon that would otherwise have died will be able to spawn and restore stock numbers.
Orri Vigfusson, Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, said: “We have campaigned for this day for the last 14 years and we are delighted that the Irish Cabinet has taken the action we have long recommended. It was not an easy decision to take in the face of vested interests that have shown no concern for the future of the salmon resource.
"I do commend the courage shown by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural resources (Mr Noel Dempsey) in facing down the opponents of conservation who always got their way in the past. Hopefully, he has acted in the nick of time to save what is left of the Irish salmon resource and inject new hope for a revival of the salmon stocks of other European nations.
“Providing proper enforcement is introduced to prevent illegal netting and the rules of the scheme are fair to both netsmen and anglers the Irish goverment can be assured that NASF will use its influence internationally to help the buyout scheme succeed.â€
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, a coalition of voluntary conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance.
SALMON CONSERVATION WINS THE DAY: NOVEMBER 1 2006
It has taken many years of pressure by NASF and its allies in Ireland and the other European countries but at last the Irish Government has agreed to stop drift netting of salmon in its coastal waters.
The government announced today that it was adopting the key recommendations of the Independent Working Group on Salmon for a compulsory buyout of the drift netting licences. It is setting up a hardship fund of over €25 million to address the financial losses that the netsmen will suffer. Another €5 million will be set aside to help rural communities overcome the loss of income from the closure of the drift netting.
In an effort to allow more salmon to reach their spawning grounds estuary netsmen will be allowed to volunteer to join the buyout scheme.
Fifty years ago a small number of Irish inshore fishermen were helped to make a living by the huge shoals of salmon that swam close to the coast of Ireland as they returned to European rivers from their feeding grounds in northern waters. Only a small percentage of the fish were caught. as the salmon could often see and avoid the thick and clumsy hemp nets then in use.
When near-invisible monafilament nets were invented hundreds of new salmon licences were issued and the once-modest fishery mushroomed into a giant industry that was soon killing half a million salmon or more annually. Despite the Atlantic-wide decline in salmon numbers in recent years successive Irish fishery ministers refused to curb the over-fishing or accept the advice of their own scientists.
Finally, when it became clear that Irish salmon stocks were falling far faster than elsewhere, a quota system was introduced. The quotas figures were set so high, however, that the drift nets were allowed to take an ever-increasing share of the total European salmon catch. As a result, great damage has been done to the wild salmon stocks of Irish rivers and those of its European neighbours. Conservationists are now hoping that many thousands of salmon that would otherwise have died will be able to spawn and restore stock numbers.
Orri Vigfusson, Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, said: “We have campaigned for this day for the last 14 years and we are delighted that the Irish Cabinet has taken the action we have long recommended. It was not an easy decision to take in the face of vested interests that have shown no concern for the future of the salmon resource.
"I do commend the courage shown by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural resources (Mr Noel Dempsey) in facing down the opponents of conservation who always got their way in the past. Hopefully, he has acted in the nick of time to save what is left of the Irish salmon resource and inject new hope for a revival of the salmon stocks of other European nations.
“Providing proper enforcement is introduced to prevent illegal netting and the rules of the scheme are fair to both netsmen and anglers the Irish goverment can be assured that NASF will use its influence internationally to help the buyout scheme succeed.â€
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, a coalition of voluntary conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance.
This should not only have a positive effect on Irish rivers but also in England and further afield 