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Emerald Isle Salmon

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  vinnyf 
#1 ·
Some beautiful Irish ballads I enjoyed over the holidays have me thinking about a trip to Ireland with my wife, of course mixing in some salmon fishing if possible... but I came across this important site pushing for elimination of drift netting off the the Emerald Isle's coast: http://www.stopnow.ie/

This is a domestic movement to the government of Ireland to enact a ban on drift netting, however as this is an international problem I am sure our voices and concerns can help.
 
#3 ·
Willie Gunn said:
Come to Scotland we have the odd singer as well as much better salmon water
:)

Funny one of these ballads I am talking about was "the Water is Wide" and was sung by James Taylor (wife and I had up front floor seats the other day). He commented that it was an old traditional Irish or Scottish song depending on the heritage of the listener ;)

It would be absolutely mandatory to include a tour of Scotland in such a visit, not only for the rivers (and singers) but I understand there are places that concoct a certain caramel-coloured liquid of world renown :D
 
#4 ·
Just as an update to this thread ... I just finished a research paper on the issue of the sustainability of drift-net fishing for salmon off the Irish coast (short answer - it's not). I shared my results with the marine spokesman for the main opposition party in Ireland as a courtesy as I interviewed him as part of my research on policy - the current minister didn't respond to queries. The main point of my paper was that the benefits (economic, ecologic, and social) from salmon as a sport-fishing resource far outweighed those from commercial fishing.

Apart from a ban on drift-net fishing, I also recommended a widespread catch-and-release policy - open to re-evaluation after 3 years. I know that the latter won't be popular with some anglers (maybe not here), but I think that it's crucial that every effort be made to conserve the species.


Anyway, he emailed me back stating that he will be using some of my points in formulating his party's policy on the topic. I hope it's a step in the right direction.

I'll be back home in June on my honeymoon and I plan on having a day or two on the Moy. Hopefully, I'll have a swipe at some stripers on Plum Island before then.
 
#8 ·
I'll try the Moy in Co. Mayo when I'm home in June. I just got the local paper today (The Western People) in Harvard Sq. and at least three of the local court cases involved poachers. I don't think that poaching is increasing, but I do think that they are stepping up enforcement efforts. I can't complain about that.
 
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