Mark.H.V.CorpsIFI Angling Advisor

Marine & Countryside Guiding FETAC Level 6

• Fishery organisations• Seasons • Size limits• Salmon / sea trout license • Permits • Tags – both blue & brown tags• Log books• Catch & Release – kelts, fresh fish• Sea trout = salmon > 40cm Tags

• Brown trout - permits and landowners permission

• Shannon – areas special licenses • Pike bye laws • Bass bye laws• Pollution & environmental laws / litter • Life jackets bye laws• DCAL – Game Licenses and permits • Loughs Agency

• The first Irish Fisheries acts go back to 1842, 1848, 1863

• Originally there were 23 Fisheries Districts & Boards of Conservators

• 1966 the Boards of Conservators in Northern Ireland were replaced by the Fisheries Conservancy Board (FCB) of NI

• 1980 Boards of Conservators in Ireland & Inland Fisheries Trust replaced by the Central Fisheries Board & 7 Regional Fisheries Boards

Eastern RFB North Western RFB Shannon RFB South Eastern RFB South Western RFB Western RFB

The Central Fisheries Board• Statutory body with responsibility for inland

fisheries & sea angling • Under the aegis of the Dept of

Communications, Energy & Natural Resources• Established under the Fisheries Act 1980• Function to advise the Minister for

Communications, Energy & Natural Resources on policy relating to the conservation, protection, management, development & improvement of inland fisheries & sea angling, to support, coordinate & provide specialist support services to the RFB’s and to advise the Minister on the performance by the RFB’s of their functions

• The RFB’s were responsible for conserving, protecting, developing, managing & promoting Ireland’s inland fisheries (including sea angling)

• CFB Technical Services dealt with trout, salmon, sea trout & coarse fish, as well as marine sport fish & water quality

Inland Fisheries Ireland• Formed on July 1, 2010

• Amalgamation of the CFB & the RFB’s into a single agency

• Responsible for the protection, management & conservation of the inland fisheries resource across the country

• Ireland has over 70,000 kilometers of rivers & streams with144,000 hectares of loughs all under the jurisdiction of IFI. agency also responsible for sea angling in Ireland

Irish Specimen Fish committee

•Register of all records & specimen fish for all of Ireland.

•Main legislation in the ROI, 1980 Fisheries Act & amendments

•State licence only required for salmon & sea trout

General advise• The only legal method to catch

freshwater fish is by rod and line (Control of Fishing for Coarse Fish in Fresh Water Bye-law No. 595, 1977)

• A person may fish with not more than two rods at any time (Control of Fishing for Coarse Fish in Fresh Water Bye-law No. 595, 1977)

• It is illegal to have or to use live fish as bait (Use of Live Fish as Bait in Fresh Water Bye-law No. 592, 1977)

• Prohibition of certain methods - bye-law prohibits the use of hooks, other than single barbless, use of worms, prawn or shrimp as bait in angling for all species of fish in specified waters. List of waters this bye law applies to is available at Angling Bye – Law No. 888,2011ANGLING BYE-LAW NO. 888

Salmon Licence Fees (2012)• All Districts Annual: €100

• Juvenile (<18 yrs) All Districts Annual: €10

• One District, Annual: €56

• All districts, 21 Days: €40

• All districts, 1 Day: €20

• Foyle Area Extension: €80

• Special local licence: €24

• Foyle Area Extension Licence

• Special Local Licence – a salmon angling fishing licence to fish special tidal waters as follows;

Erne - Ballyshannon • Permits – a licence does not confer

the right to fish; a fishing permit is usually required and must be obtained separately.

Salmon Angling Regulations• The wild salmon & sea trout tagging scheme regulates salmon & sea trout fishing in Ireland, administered by IFI

• Salmon rod licence holders must affix a gill tag to all retained salmon (any size), or sea trout (> 40 cm)

• Restrictions prohibiting the use of worms, prawn & shrimp as bait in angling for all other fish species in certain closed & C&R rivers. Anglers may only use single barbless hooks where these restrictions apply. ANGLING BYE-LAW NO. 897, 2012 (18.42 kB), 2011

  BAG LIMITS

• Season limit 10 salmon or sea trout (over 40 cm). Limits subject to quotas allocated to a river

• 1 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day between Jan 1st - May 11th (3 in total retained for this period)

• Daily bag limit - 3 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from May 12th - Aug 31st (except with a 1 day ordinary salmon rod licence, 1 fish)

• 1 salmon or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from 1st September to the close of the season

• There is an angling bag limit of three sea trout (under 40cm) per angler per day (bye-law no. 887, 2011)

• After the daily bag limit has been taken, anglers can fish C&R, using single, barbless hooks. Anglers may not use worms

• An offence to kill any sea trout in the Galway, Connemara or Ballinakill Fisheries Districts including at sea from Hags Head in County Clare to Clew Bay (& in any waters flowing into Clew Bay) in the Bangor Fishery District south of a line drawn due east & west through Achill Head

• Killing & possession of foul hooked fish is prohibited (a foul hooked fish is any fish not hooked in the mouth)

Catch & release• Anglers may not use worms & single,

barbless hooks • Handle fish carefully, keep fish in the water• Slaney provides for C&R using single

barbless hook from 17th March - 30th Sept with fly only upstream of the old bridge, Enniscorthy & prohibits the use of worms, prawn & shrimp downstream of the old bridge, Enniscorthy. (bye-law no. 893, 2011)

• Blackwater season extended from 1st - 12th Oct on a C&R basis, fly only (bye-law no. 310, 2011)

• Suir C&R up to 11th May. Open from 12th May with bag limit of 1 fish per day, max 3 fish for the season (bye-law no. 889, 2011)

• Avoca prohibits taking sea trout (<40cm), prohibits worms & hooks other than single barbless hooks for sea trout (under 40cm) (bye-law no. 890, 2011)

• Nore C&R to 11th May & is open for angling from 12th May

Fisheries Conservation Board • Established 1966 with responsibility

of the conservation & protection of the salmon & inland fisheries of NI

• FCB functions included issuing of fishing licenses, enforcement of regulations & byelaws.

• Assisting in the investigation of pollution incidents which involve fish kills.

Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure

• All of the functions were transferred to DCAL 1st June 2009

• DCAL responsible, under the provisions of the Fisheries Act (NI) 1966, for salmon & inland fisheries of NI.

• To provide advice / guidance on conservation, protection, development & improvement of salmon & inland fisheries to angling clubs, fishery owners & other water users / interested parties.

Salmon tags• All recreational salmon catches must

be tagged & recorded in a logbook. All salmon & sea trout over 50 cm

• Anglers required to record catch on a daily basis (before midnight of each day) in the logbook

Salmon / wild brown trout seasons vary

• Foyle catchment salmon season operates 1st Apr - 20th Oct

• Carlingford catchment season is 1st Apr - 31st Oct

• Bann catchment / Co Antrim rivers season 1st March – 31st Oct (except the River Bush season ends 21st Oct)

• Erne catchment season is 1st March – 30th Sept except for Lough Melvin (1st Feb – 30th Sept)

• C&R operates (except for Lough Melvin) for salmon from 1st March - 31st May. limit of 2 applies thereafter.

• Lough Melvin 1 salmon may be retained from 1st Feb to 31st May. 3 from 1st June – 30th Sept.

Bag limits

The Loughs Agency• Agency of the Foyle, Carlingford and

Irish Lights Commission (FCILC),• Established a cross-border bodies

established under the 1998 Agreement between the U K & ROI

• Agency aims to provide sustainable social, economic & environmental benefits through effective conservation, management, promotion & development of the fisheries & marine resources of the Foyle and Carlingford Areas.

• 4 brown trout or sea trout (< 40cm) may be taken on any one day

• From the opening day to 31st May, 1 salmon or sea Trout (> 40cm) on any day to a total of 5 during this period

• 1st June to the end of season, 2 salmon or sea trout (> 40cm) on any day to a total of 20 may be retained

• All salmon and sea trout over 50 cms retained must be tagged.

Bag limits / catch

IFI – wild brown trout regs for Corrib catchment

• 4 trout per angler per day • Bag limit may include 1 trout over 10 lbs per

day• Anglers may only retain trout over 13 in,

trout under this size must be released• Cannot use more than 1 rod when fly fishing

or dapping with no more than 4 flies• Cannot use more than 2 rods when bait

fishing, spinning or trolling • A maximum of 3 rods when bait fishing,

spinning or trolling in a boat by 2 or more anglers

Pike bye law no. 809 (2006) • A bag limit of 1 pike per day

• Prohibits killing any pike greater than 50 cm

• Prohibits the possession of more than 1 whole pike < 50 cm or > 0.75 kg of pike flesh

• Prohibits the possession of more than 12 coarse fish for use as bait

Bass• Bass Fishing Conservation S.I. NO. 826,

2007 2 bass bag limit in any 24 hr period Ban on angling for bass during the

spawning season (15th May - 15th June)

• Bass (Restriction on Sale) Order S.I. No. 367, 2007

Prohibits sale / offer for sale of bass (other than bass which has been imported into the State) from 1st July - 30th June