Ummera Smoked Salmon 2001 Salmon Report

The nominal Irish wild salmon catch for 2000 was 228,200, which weighed 621 tonnes.

The nominal Irish wild salmon catch in 1999 weighed 515 tonnes – down on the 1998 catch of 624t.

This seasons wild salmon catch was below that of 2000 and similar to that of 1999. A carcass tagging system was introduced for the first time in Ireland and was well received – despite increased demands on both the recreational and commercial sectors to implement the scheme. Compilation of carcass tag data may provide a higher recorded tonnage than the dealers system so eventual nominal catch in 2001 is difficult to predict – should come in at between 480-500tonnes. The important features of the 2001 season were:

· Carcass tagging introduced successfully – embraced by commercial sector. Sale of rod caught salmon prohibited from 1^st of August but decision on State buy-out of commercial sector deferred.

· Fishing in the West and Northwest was good in June but fell in July. The catches in the Northern Region were excellent early in the season but declined as the season progressed. Catches in the Southwest were poor in comparison to 2000. The Southern catch was also down on last year.

· Gales at sea reduced the commercial catch in mid-July – total July catch dismal.

· Large numbers of ranched salmon appeared in the West Coast commercial catch and generated over 4,000 coded wire tags to the end of July – these have now been processed to the tag reading phase at the Martin Ryan Institute in Galway.

· The significant catch early in the season quickly reduced prices to the 2000 level. Prices soared in July due to scarcity going as high as £4/lb in the last full week of the season.

· Larger grilse were taken by drift nets leaving only smaller grilse for anglers and draft net fishermen. Seals continue to pose a serious threat to both commercial and recreational fisheries.

· Overall interceptory fishing effort has not diminished on Irish salmon stocks.

Carcass tagging of all wild salmon caught during 2001 was introduced at the start of the season. Stock in freezers from 2000 season were tail tagged in January. Rod caught salmon were tagged from January on with blue gill tags. Draft net (green tag) exploitation started on the 12/05/2001 - some local variations existed: draft nets on the Munster Blackwater and Laune rivers were not in operation again this year as part of catchment management plans. There were also no terminal traps in operation in Ireland. Drift net fishing commenced on the 4^th June with all drift net caught fish sporting a red tag.

The affect of stringent regulations introduced in 1997 to reduce the catch of spring salmon was increased escapement - through the removal of Irish interceptory fisheries. Angling is now the only source of exploitation of this valuable stock component. Spring salmon runs were reasonable in 2001 on the rivers Drowes, Fergus, Blackwater, Corrib and Delphi but were considered exceptional on the river Moy. Foot & Mouth restrictions on angling in March and April allowed the fish travel freely up the Moy system with the result that salmon were caught throughout the fishery when angling resumed. Spring salmon taken by local and Northern Ireland anglers were sold in Ballina for £5 or £6/lb – the price fell dramatically when some of these fish were offered at Galway & Aran Co-op.

At the start of the season North Atlantic Salmon Federation (NASF) representatives invited commercial fishermen to have preliminary discussions on the compensation necessary for suspension of the interceptory fishery. With talk of buy-outs and rivers low following a period of drought a significant salmon catch was observed at the start of the drift net season – traditionally a time of poor demand. As a result the price of wild salmon dropped to the lows observed in 2000 (<£1.60/lb for 4-6: £2.20 for 6-8 and 2.50 for 8+).

Grilse arrived in rivers just before drift net exploitation commenced – especially to the Corrib, Moy and Ballisodare. Spring salmon and grilse caught angling on the Moy and Corrib systems in April and May contained no net marked fish – at least not until the weekend before the interceptory fishery opened. The weather conditions for drift and draft netting was favourable throughout June. The drift net catches for the month were good on the Donegal, Northwest Mayo, Sligo and South West Coast but quieter in the Shannon Estuary (30% drop on 2000) and on the South coast. The Clarecastle catch only improved starting the week of the 18^th June when up to 30 fish/boat was observed. A fishery patrol to the Porturlin area in mid-June was the subject of some comment. In the north the Foyle draft and drift net fisheries opened brightly but the catches fell as June closed.

In July, rain and high winds combined to reduce the drift and draft net catch as salmon escaped to many of the small spate rivers in the West of Ireland (Bunowen, Ballynahinch, Erriff, and Delphi). Angling in the rivers Ballisodare, Moy, Corrib and Delphi were regarded as excellent though the Newport, Burrishoole (very poor) and Owenmore systems were slow to produce fish to the rod. Further south rivers remained low until later in July though some salmon were getting through especially to the lower reaches of the Lee. The Ilen Rive in Skibereen was closed to non-members until the third week of June due to F&M. In the north over 3000 salmon were counted through the Finn River on the Foyle though anglers here (as elsewhere) were disappointed in their catch. Another tributary of the Foyle – the Mourne already had sufficient fish for escapement by the end of July. The catch of the late opening Erne Draft net fishery improved though similar numbers of salmon escaped to the Erne as last year. In contrast the Inver draft net catch was poor as the beneficial impact of rainfall on salmon escapement was felt immediately.

Large sea trout (>2kg) were observed in Southern areas while fish farm escapees (of recent origin and in excellent condition) were a notable feature of Southwest catches. These fish were some distance from the four fish farm sites in the Southwest. Some processors/Co-op’s asked fishermen not to bring in escapees as they were difficult to sell. Escapees were also observed in the Ballinakill District – they were large good condition fish (9-12lbs) taken outside Killary Harbour in mid-June. The fish were possibly generated during local harvesting operations when salmon were netted from the pens. Some fish farm escapees were also observed in the Corrib and Spiddal rivers.

Wind and Water – and just in time! Early in the season low water levels were a worry as ranched fish returned and were exploited on the West Coast in large numbers and as large grilse. On the sea trout front some specimen fish appeared in drift nets on the south coast. In Connemara small sea trout appeared in good numbers at Ballynahinch, Inagh and Delphi. F&M, carcass-tagging rod caught salmon, killer whales (chasing Lee salmon) and buy-outs were the live topics to hit the airwaves in 2001. But don’t forget the Kerry fishermen who capped their catch at 30,000 and organised a collection of £10,000 through a levy on tags to fund conservation measures for the Laune River. National Geographic also paid a visit.

Ironically, fishing effort may have increased as the probability of compensation-not-to-fish gain credence. All interceptory fish were carcass tagged as commercial fishermen embraced the scheme.

The practical, no-nonsense approach adopted by personnel involved in disseminating information and enforcing the scheme augers well for the carcass tagging approach. Notwithstanding the scheme was perceived to have placed an unnecessary burden on smokers and fishing tackle shops due to the extent of form filling required. For smokers who chose to freeze salmon whole (carcass tags handy for hanging up fish) the demands for recording information was not as challenging as for those who removed the heads before freezing.

Investigation to provide companies having difficulty with automated recording and computerisation of tags might be useful. Tag suppliers could be approached to examine systems available with other tagging programmes e.g. cattle, sheep, dog, horse etc. – where data needs to be processed quickly. Ability to address difficulties real or perceived could advance this carcass tagging system further. One possibility is to issue pass cards to licensed anglers/commercial fishermen, which automatically issues and records carcass tag data.

At the retail level the public are beginning to look for carcass tags as a guarantee of getting wild salmon however any potential benefit in improving the price paid for wild salmon will depend on marketing, quality and supply. It is difficult to gauge where public sentiment will go as pressure mounts to curtail interceptory fishing. In the long term the drive to buy-out the interceptory fishery for the benefit of angling may ultimately be ill advised – if the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have their way. Who knows – society may simply settle for the commercial exploitation of a species in preference to its exploitation for sport?

The appearance of a leaflet on the best handling procedures for wild salmon (my first seen in over 20 years sampling), including bleeding the catch immediately after killing was well received by fishermen and should have been included with every salmon licence issued. Though some unsatisfactory attempts were made to bleed fish an improved awareness of fish quality is desirable. In light of the Ministerial announcement prohibiting the sale of rod-caught wild salmon and the deferral of a decision on a State buy-out of salmon drift net licences it was interesting to get the views of fishermen (drift and draft) while sampling. Many fishermen I talked to were agreeable to the concept of being paid not to fish (Greenland/Faroes model) but balked at the idea of being ‘bought out’ (though this may change if the offer is right!).

Lough Corrib: With the mayfly hatches practically over trout fishing has been very quiet in the past week with just a few boats fishing mainly in the evening time. Some anglers have taken to trolling for salmon in the Oughterard and Cong areas in particular and there are reports of quite a few grilse caught in these areas. In the Cong area alone several hundred salmon have been caught over the past few weeks, mostly by anglers trolling and using other methods. On the first day of June one angler is reported to have 14 salmon to his own rod. Trout anglers in other areas of the Lough have landed salmon to fly. Well-known Galway angler Ernie Deacy was delighted with his 5lb salmon to wet fly.

Galway Salmon Weir Fishery In the last week of July only 10 salmon were caught including two by Hans Greasler and Mark Ward, Germany and England respectively. The Galway fishery has produced 572 salmon to the 31^st July – despite the fishery closure to March 30^th as a precaution against spreading foot and mouth. The catch, which included 27 ranched fish, was built around an exceptionally good run of grilse in June (producing more than on average 1 salmon per angler per day). The average grilse size in June was a very creditable 5.3lb (n=375) while salmon (>8lb) averaged 9.3lb (n=43). The catch

fell back in July when for example only 24 salmon were taken between July 10 and July 16. Eugene Quigley who also had a 4.5lb fish the same day took the heaviest of 9lb. Louis Vambeck had two for a day to fly for 6.5lb and John Menzies also took 2 for a day for 8lb. With two sluice gates open by the end of July anglers were taking much better quality salmon than previously. Jon Menzies from the UK had a very good fish of 11.5lb and Jim Kenehan landed two for 9.5lb and 6.5lb. Local man Sean O’Toole landed 3 for a day for 11lb, 8lb and 6.5lb, and Dubliner Michael Rogers took a fish of 12lb.

Other anglers to catch fish included Raymond Drennan who caught the heaviest fish taken on the new beat below the Cathedral Bridge at 18lb. Jim Stafford, Dave Lenihan and Wolfram Hoppe (Germany) had 4 each for a day while John McCarty from Galway and Werner Meckle each landed heavy fish at 11.5lb. While many fish were in the 5 to 6lb range there were exceptions: Barry Brown had one of 9; Michael Brown one of 12 and 6lb; Tom Tynan one of 11.5 and two of 8.5lb; John McCarty one of 10lb. Seamus Hartigan and Dave Lenighan landed 3 each for 14lb.

Bunowen and Carrowniskey Rivers: Salmon fishing has been fairly quiet in the past week, all due to lower water and higher temperatures. However, there are salmon being caught and two North of Ireland fishermen were luckiest having 3 for a day. The Bunowen River has already served up some of the best fishing in recent years with over 120 salmon taken to date. Two visiting anglers to the area had 8 salmon in 4 days, all in the 6 to 8lb bracket, and John Bennett, a local man, landed 3 over two outings, best 12lb and 9 lb. Two anglers fishing Carr’s Pool for a day landed 3 – all small grilse between 3 and 4 lb. Overall, salmon fishing is good when the river is dropping from a high flood. The Carrowniskey River has been disappointing so far with little or no fish caught there. Enquiries for permits and licences to Charles Gaffney at Gaffney’s Bar, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo, telephone: 098 66404, or the Fisheries Board office at Ballyhip, Louisburgh, telephone: 098 66404.

River Erriff: The Erriff Salmon River has been giving good results during the past few weeks, all immensely helped by heavy rain to the catchment area. A most recent day’s catch came to 42 salmon, one of the best days ever on this famous fishery. By 31^st July the catch had risen to 438 salmon including 58 tagged fish among them – unfortunately all of these were strays from Delphi’s ranching programme. While the past week brought about a lot pretty dry weather in the Erriff catchment area, heavy rain in recent days has once again lifted the water levels to the right height for good salmon fishing results. There are rods available during August and September and the newly refurbished Aasleagh Lodge, situated on the fishery, has first-class accommodation and full Board.

Delphi River: The catch to the 31st July was a respectable 649 fish including 1 escapee taken upstream at Doolough. After the low flows in early June concern was expressed about the impact of interceptory nets but fears were greatly allayed when rain arrived and the angling catch soared to the mid-20’s/day. The wild salmon catch (14% of total) was on par with the historical average. Good reports of small sea trout appearing in Killary Harbour suggests that angling prospects remain favourable.

Owenwee River: This small river near Westport is fishing very well for salmon, and sea trout. Tom Bourke, Belclare Fishery, says 57 salmon have been caught to the end of July with several sea trout to 3lb taken on fly. Philip Dyson from the UK landed a few fish there last weekend and Stephen Brewley caught some sea trout and a 6lb salmon.

Ballynahinch: The run of grilse accumulating at the mouth of the river finally received the rain they needed to move upstream. This had an immediate impact on angling at Ballynahinch Castle as the catch rose to 42 salmon with 3 tagged fish among them. Sea trout catches were also encouraging with one angler landing 26 for a day’s fishing.

Lough Inagh: Weather conditions were very much against good fishing in the past week, the light winds in particular and bright sunshine hampering wet fly methods. Colin Folan landed an 8lb salmon at the famous Derryclare Butts, taken on a size 10 Donegal Blue. Colin very sportingly released the fish again. Bill Flynn from Dublin landed 6 trout to 2lb on Lough Inagh, most to the Green Peter. Brian Davy from Dublin had 3 trout using the same pattern of fly along with the Donegal Blue.

Prior to this Richard McMahon from Westmeath landed a good 9.5lb fish to an Ally Shrimp, and Neil Gilchrist from the UK had one of 5.5lb to a Bibio, having lost two earlier. Fishing a Bibio Michael Heery from Dublin took an 8.5lb, and there were other catches too. Nicolas Leroy and Colin Folan took two grilse at the fishery in recent days. Both fish were caught on a size 12 Silver Jungle fly.

Kylemore Fishery: Salmon and trout fishing was poor in the past week, all due to low water conditions. However, heavy rain in recent days has brought up the lake so there should be a big improvement in angling. Andy Duncan landed a salmon on Saturday 21^st: his boat also having a few sea trout. Another lucky angler was Marty Beatty who caught a 4lb salmon and three sea trout, his best trout weighing 1.5lb. Enquiries to: Nancy Naughton at: 095 42252.

Screebe River: Though the catch to date was back on last year Marcus Carey of Screebe House, was happy with the 31 salmon taken to 23^rd July – including the 7 fine 2SW ranched fish. Operation of the trap above Screebe waterfall has yielded a run of 22 wild and 3 ranched salmon.

Costello & Fermoyle Fishery: The catch of salmon to the 31^st July at Casla was a respectable 52 fish. The grilse were slow to appear in the river due to low flows but floods late in June (2) and again in July (1) helped fish ascend. The sea trout catch for the same period was 690 – mostly finnock though some larger sea trout are beginning to appear. Jeffrey Fitzjohn had 24 sea trout for a day’s fishing while Tom Gallagher’s party had 23 for the week. John Hildreth did even better with 91 sea trout for the week. Terry Gallagher, Casla Fishery manager believes good opportunities are available throughout the fishery with high water and good runs recorded through the Logi counter. Terry can be contacted at 091-572196.

Moy River - Ridge Pool: With three floods in as many weeks grilse escapement to the Moy was satisfactory. This was reflected in the angling catch at the Ridge Pool in Ballina where 622 salmon have been taken to date – a catch similar to 2000. In the last week some decent grilse have appeared with fewer fish net marked. Angling upstream of Ballina was also reported to be good especially above Foxford. For more information contact John Burke, angling officer, NWRFB @ 087-6792292.

Inver River: Angling potential of this river highlighted by visit of John Gallagher, Inver who landed 2 salmon for an afternoon’s fishing.

Burrishoole Fishery: A good run to this river was anticipated with the release of 49,175 coded wire tagged ranched smolts in 2000 in addition to the wild smolt output. With a disappointing 58 salmon on rod by the end of July attention has already focussed on the need to close the fishery and protect what wild salmon are left. More information on the run to the river will be generated by operating a trap in the system and through the coded wire tagging results.