Minister Sean Kyne, who has responsibility for the inland fisheries sector, has signed off three new angling bye-laws which affect the Corrib catchment in Counties Galway and Mayo.
The bye-laws, which have been requested by local angling clubs, concern the Abbert and Grange Rivers, the Clare River and the Cong River and Canal and reflect the support of the clubs for the conservation imperative and the sustainable management of the local fisheries resource.
The bye-laws come ito immediate effect and are as follows:—
Abbert and Grange Rivers (Annual Close Season ) Byelaw
The bye-law extends the closed season for allangling on the Abbert and Grange Rivers by two months to cover the period from the September 1 until March 31 annually. This bye-law is being introduced at the request of the angling clubs on the Clare system and will act as a vital conservation measure. Both rivers make a significant contribution to wild brown trout stocks in the Clare River system and Lough Corrib. The new bye-law will afford greater protection to spawning salmonids in these two very important tributaries of the Clare River.
Western Fisheries Region River Clare (Revocation ) Bye-Law
This new bye-law permits all legalangling methods on the Clare River from Daly’s Bridge in the townland of Corrandrum to a point 300 metres upstream of the footbridge at Anbally in the townlands of Anbally and Turloughmartin, County Galway. This section of river was previously restricted to fly fishing only however this new bye-law will bring this short section of the river into line with the rest of the Clare River. This bye-law was introduced at the request of the localangling club.
Upper and Lower Limits of Cong River and Cong Canal Bye-Law
This bye-law clearly defines the upstream boundary between Lough Mask and the Cong Canal and the downstream boundary between the Cong River and Lough Corrib. The purpose of the bye-law is to enable the effective enforcement of legislation governing the openangling seasons for trout and salmon on the Cong Canal/River as these differ from the open seasons for these species on Loughs Corrib and Mask. This bye-law will remove any difficulty in identifying the correctangling season at the extremities of the Cong River/Canal and will afford greater protection to highly prized ferox trout which are known to spawn in the Cong River/Canal.
Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland welcomed the introduction of these bye-laws in Galway and Mayo which will help enforce relevant legislation and enhance the resource in the long term.
“The introductions of these bye-laws follow public consultations whereby stakeholders were invited to input their views and insights into the proposed new regulations. Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Fisheries Officers will now protect these rivers in line with the new laws in place,” he said.
Anglers are requested to familiarise themselves with the details of the new bye-laws which can be found on www.fisheriesireland.ie Inland Fisheries Ireland has a confidential hotline number to enable members of the general public to report incidents - 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24. This phone line is designed to encourage the reporting of incidents of illegal fishing, water pollution and invasive species.
