Inland Fisheries appeals to anglers to halt fishing during heatwave
July 10th, 2018
Inland Fisheries Ireland has issued an appeal to anglers to stop fishing for salmon as the hot weather and drought conditions are putting additional strain on marine life.
The appeal, announced last Thursday, was followed by Irish Water’s expansion of the hosepipe ban from the Greater Dublin Area to the whole of the country on Friday morning.
Inland Fisheries is also asking anglers to voluntarily cease using keep nets during this period to avoid causing unintentional distress to fish kept for long periods.
Keep nets – where captured fish are stored – are set up near river banks where water temperatures are hotter, prompting Inland Fisheries Ireland to call for the practice to be suspended.
Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, said that the low water levels and “dangerously hot” water temperatures may lead to fish kills.
Dr Byrne asked that anglers practising catch and release fishing during the hot spell would consider taking a break from fishing entirely until conditions become more favourable to marine life.
The agency also advises for conservation purposes on open rivers, anglers should cease angling once their daily bag limit is reached.
Angling Stands, Town Lake, Carrigallen Photo: Inland Fisheries Ireland
A spokesperson for the Angling Council of Ireland told The Green News that many private fisheries have shut down until “water temperatures have returned to normal.”
Water levels at Killarney National Park and the Blackwater are extremely low and the fish are under “extreme stress”, the spokesperson added.
The Council also urged the public to cease fishing and expects that the current measures will be in place for at least another two weeks until water levels are restored.
According to Met Eireann, the weather will remain hot for most of the week although they have predicted rainfall as the week progresses.
Should the current weather conditions continue, however, Inland Fisheries Ireland may consider the introduction of emergency conservation legislation. The emergency order would prohibit angling on certain rivers until the threat to fish health subsided.
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