14/10/2026
FISSTA - Federation of Irish Salmon & Sea Trout Anglers have issued the following submission draft to Irish wild salmon anglers as a guide response to Junior Minister Timmy Dooley TD public consultation which proposes a wide list of restrictions on angling but does not announce any policy changes like removing farmed salmon cages or commercial netting to conserve our wild Atlantic salmon. We have read five documents issued by DCEE Public Consultation, some over 130 pages so we hope this guideline submission assists you in making your views clear to a Government that is speeding the demise of our wild Atlantic salmon. Get your submission in by October 30th deadline.
FISSTA SUBMISSION TO MINISTER ON PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON WILD ATLANTIC SALMON
To: Mr. Timmy Dooley TD Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine (DAFM) with special responsibility for Freshwater Fisheries at the Department of Climate, Environment and Energy (DCEE) with special responsibility for the Marine is your official title from your website. You are answerable to two line Ministers, both Martin Heydon TD DAFM and Darragh O Brien TD DCEE for your responsibilities and actions. Therefore, you are both the responsible Junior Minister for both Wild Atlantic salmon in DCEE and farmed salmon in DAFM which you stated at our AAG meeting in September 2025 was not a conflict of interest as you would follow the science for all decisions pertaining to our freshwater and marine environment. Your renewal last month of the Deenish Island salmon farming license for Mowi says everything about why you are ignoring the science and we have abandoned any hope of getting your government and two line ministers to reverse your decision that is in direct conflict with the science as the Justice Holland decision confirmed in July 2024 and the Introgression Report in August 26 proved alarmingly as UCC Professor Philip Mc Ginnity claimed. The wild Atlantic salmon and habitat has no protection from this government and the heavy representations from IFA Aquaculture are being fully served over the scientific advice that warns us of the consequences. FISSTA will confront and fight your decisions in every possible way we can on behalf of our members and the iconic wild Atlantic salmon species who has nobody in Government or in Inland Fisheries Ireland since the departures of Eamonn Ryan and Francis O Donnel who we hope will be reinstated very soon.
The 50,000 Blackwater Fishkill has been a major blow to freshwater fisheries and the buck-passing protocol emanating from that disaster was supposed to be part of the solution, but tell that to the River Feale anglers who are told by EPA that the pollution through eutrophication was not their responsibility and to report it on to the local authority instead. No progress there and that is why we are legally pursuing this disaster that happened under your watch, which will rear its head again very soon.
Following the promised completion of the long-awaited review of Ireland’s Salmon Management Framework by the much depleted and unqualified leadership of Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Department - DCEE has published eight precautionary management proposals in a thirteen page public consultation and online survey seeking the views of Irish stakeholders and interested parties to be submitted by the 30th October 2026.
To seek our feedback under a public consultation without publishing the full enclosures of the FAQ or the Report Supplement renders the consultation void. Indeed, the deadline and time frame for this consultation proves that the findings will not be analysed in time for the publication date of the draft regulations 2027 which confirm that these have probably already been written without our feedback answers to the proposed measures as outlined in Proposals A to H.
We caution all participants on the online survey as the list of questions are ‘restrictions’ loaded with technical questions that many anglers and stakeholders may not understand, such as the probability question that ask in Proposal A if you support increasing the probability threshold to 85% from 75% as if that is where it was at, last year, for all rivers.
As sporting and angling tourism providers that generates a large portion of the vital wild salmon national revenue to the economy of large and small river communities throughout the state, we have found it almost impossible to retain from competitors, the valued custom of visiting anglers, both national and international.
This is due to the DCEE and IFI mismanagement that confused our market over recent years, but nothing like the confusion in 2026, when the regulations were changed three times following serious failures by Minister Dooley to take charge of the crisis. He knows all about the level of confusion over this, because he was forced to revert back to retaining the November 2024 regulations during his visit to the pier of Killybegs, when we lobbied him on New years eve 2025 for the 2026 season opening the following day. His failure to understand or get someone qualified in his department or IFI (that had not been let go) to clarify and calculate the socio economic formula to keep viable fisheries such as the Moy etc open and workable for 2026 left our industry in a much confused state until the final draft regulations in April were published – four months after the season opened. It is hoped that absolutely no such debacles will be repeated in 2027 although gaps in qualified staff numbers still have yet to be filled.
However, with the delay of the Review Supplement and FAQ section now published, we have completed this survey in writing (not online as it cannot be verified) and advise that these responses be recorded and registered only if the following government policy changes are announced in the meantime:
Angling is the most sustainable exploitation of the nine presses therefore the following 7 changes be announced immediately.
• End all state authorised salmon farming and signing in of new licenses now.
Rationale: to protect our wild migrating smolts from being infested by sealice emanating from open sea netcages. Justice Holland decision of July 2024 dismissal of Mowi Bantry Bay application justifies immediate change of policy to end salmon farming in Irish waters. Introgression report of July 2026 further justifies immediate change of policy by the Minister.
• End - Commercial salmon netting licenses such as Cork Harbour etc immediately to protect the few returning salmon on each river which each club can identify with and quote figures from TEGOS.
• Water Quality – End legally protected discharges and end derogations immediately with essential funding to repair and restore habitat
• Predation Management programmes river by river be implemented immediately
• Reform Inland Fisheries Ireland – especially board and management, policing – to up protection of our spawning habitat
• Review Salmon hatchery policy to capitalize on long established assets
• Publish draft regulations in the new version of FAQ attachment for each of the 75% and 85%o show the club what it equates to on a river by river table.
The consultation questionnaire circulated is weighted towards action to be required by anglers. Give me your watch so I can tell you the time type of approach which does not encourage accuracy or honesty as such trust does not exist. . Asking anglers questions about how the state bodies should manage us to improve the salmon numbers is destined for inaccuracy and confusion.
• While most of us are happy to cooperate with C&R, this is a two way street. Anglers alone cannot save migratory fish. The most effective actions to redress the plight of the salmon are outside our power. We need government support and adequate funding to address the proven and disastrous impact of salmon farming.
• the pelagic bye-catch at sea –
• Pollution - Ireland’s waterways have deteriorated significantly within the last decade. All anglers see it and how very little is being done to correct the problem.
• Predation - predatory birds and seals. We need a full open season on cormorant management within a fresh water environment and a seal management campaign
• Poaching. IFI do not need the further turmoil to be extended, but new leadership for staff at ground level to do their job with the limited resources are inadequate, but the Minister knows this.
• Closing fisheries to angling is not the answer. We all know the nefarious things that happen when no anglers are on the water.
• The future of clubs is vital and most are losing members. IFI brief is to promote angling and tourism development on our waters and this has never been done. The angling draft regulations annually continues to be potentially disastrous. We need more anglers, not less. The suggestion that spring fisheries may be closed also needs to be looked at in the wider context. Do that and the government will drive remaining tourist anglers away, never to return.
• Anglers have made great sacrifices annually. We are still paying the trebled rod license since 2007 to compensate the nets buyout, and some licensees still are permitted to operate in certain areas. We need to see anglers reciprocated by more decisive government action. Ends
How to make a submission
You can participate in this consultation in either of the following ways: Complete the online consultation survey, which contains questions on the specific measures being considered for the management of salmon fisheries from 2027.
The survey is available at the following link: https://forms.gov.ie/en/6abb9f8c1d4e0fe76aa11dc0-public-consultation-proposals
Make a written submission, setting out your views on any matter covered by this consultation.Submissions should be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to:
Salmon Management Framework Inland Fisheries Section
Department of the Climate, Energy and the Environment Elm House Earlsvale Road
Cavan Town H12 A8H7
The closing date for survey responses and written submissions is 5.30pm on Friday, 30 October 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.
