Plea made to Inland Fisheries Ireland to protect Tipperary river from poachers

Senator Garret Ahearn highlighted the issue of illegal fishing and poaching along the River Suir in the Seanad this week.
Senator Ahearn said: “The River Suir is regarded as one of the best rivers in the country for salmon fishing. About a third of the salmon are in the rivers Suir, Nore and Barrow. The stock has been depleting over many years, but since 1995 there has been a catch-and-release policy.

“Essentially, this is to protect the fish, which is very important. There are a significant number of clubs in Tipperary. The angling club in Clonmel has been going since the 1950s and has more than 150 members. The club in Carrick-on-Suir has been going since the 1920s, which is more than 100 years, and has well in excess of 100 members. There are also clubs in Ardfinnan and Golden. Therefore, there is a strong fishing community that loves fishing, loves the river and wants to protect it. It is genuinely feared that it is not being protected and that it is essentially being left to the clubs to do so. Particularly from the fishing clubs’ perspective, it seems Inland Fisheries Ireland is not patrolling the river to the extent it should. Many people are poaching fish from the river and essentially getting away with it. The fishermen who fish in it every week, who catch and release, feel like they must manage the river themselves. They ask that Inland Fisheries Ireland do its job and patrol the rivers.”

PROSECUTIONS
Senator Ahearn asked how often did Inland Fisheries Ireland patrol the River Suir, why did IFI not engage with the fishing clubs and how many calls does the Inland Fisheries Ireland’s helpline receive.
He also asked how many prosecutions for illegal fishing on the River Suir have there been in each of the past ten years, and how many nets have been seized.

Senator Ahearn said: “There is certainly a feeling within the community that protection is not happening to the extent it should. Inland Fisheries Ireland is based in Clonmel. There should be, and I would have thought there would have been, a good relationship between the fishermen and the organisation because they should all have the same goal. However, this does not seem to be the case. These questions need to be asked to ensure the organisation is doing the job it is required to do.”

PROTECTION
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Martin Heydon, was in the Seanad to answer the Senators questions.
Minister Heydon said: “Currently, four permanent IFI staff are operating in the west Waterford district, protecting the River Suir catchment, the Nore catchment, the Waterford coastline, including the Tay, Colligan and Mahon rivers, and the Waterford Estuary. With specific reference to the River Suir catchment, I can advise the Senator that in excess of 40 tributaries must be policed along with the main channel as far as the estuary in Cheekpoint, county Waterford.

“A broad range of vehicles and watercraft are used for patrolling the River Suir catchment, including all-terrain vehicles, kayaks, bicycles and boats.
“Patrol boats are deployed on the Suir Estuary more than 30 times per annum, and in excess of 20 sea patrols are carried out on the Waterford coast and Waterford Estuary per annum. In carrying out protection work in the region, IFl protection teams review the previous week's activities in catchments, take account of meteorological and tidal data, and examine fishery risks identified in the annual protection plan as well as pressures in the area, such as water levels, fish movements, intelligence or reports received, known hotspots and relevant hotline reports.”
Minister Heydon said: “In the time available, IFl was not in a position to provide me with the requested information on the number of calls but I will ask it to follow up with the Senator in providing it. IFl maintains a presence every week on the 20 km Suir Blueway between Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel, along with other hotspot areas in the catchment, through bike, foot and vehicle mobile patrols.”
“IFl has also provided me with a breakdown of the number of prosecutions, fixed-charge penalty notices and seizures that were made in relation to the River Suir over the ten-year year period 2014 to 2023. Again, I will share this information with the Senator in written form for ease of reference. In summary, over the period, 143 nets, one cage, four boats and 22 rods were seized on the Suir catchment. Forty-three fixed-charge penalty notices were issued and seven prosecutions were taken.”

INTIMIDATION
Senator Garret Ahearn responded: “At the end of the day, poaching is happening on a weekly basis. There are safety and intimidation concerns for fishermen. Their fear is that they have to manage it. People are giving up fishing in Tipperary because of what is happening with poaching by people who are coming from outside our county and taking the fish. That is not acceptable. The last thing I will say is that there is a concern - and I hope this is not the case - that members of the upper management are too busy firefighting issues at a higher level to deal with the bread-and-butter issues of day-to-day work that effects people in my county.”