“STOP IRISH DRIFT NETS NOW”

PUBLIC MEETING

19.30 hours on Monday 11^th April

at

The Seiont Manor Hotel Llanrug, Caernarfon.

The Irish Government continues to issue licences to fish for salmon with drift nets around its coastline despite growing concern an international condemnation. These devastatingly efficient nets, each of which can be several miles long, intercept adult salmon on their migration route as they return from their sea feeding grounds in the North Atlantic to spawn in their rivers of origin. Over the last three years the total catch declared by this fishery has been some 500,000 salmon. Not all of these fish were produced in Ireland – many were on their way back to spawn in their native rivers in Wales, England, Germany, France and Spain.

Salmon stocks are in decline almost everywhere throughout the North Atlantic. The number of spawning fish in very many European has now been shown to be below the optimum required to maintain a self-sustaining fishery. Consequently, it has been declared a ‘threatened species’ by the European Union and given statutory protection under the powerful “Habitats Directive”.

The Irish Government is now the only country that allows wholesale drift net fishing for mixed stocks of Atlantic salmon. It remains deaf to protests about the devastating impact of the drift net fishery on its own stocks of salmon and on those of other salmon producing nations. This unsustainable and hostile plunder must be stopped!

In a concerted effort to increase the international pressure on the Irish Government to abolish this irresponsible, unfriendly and detrimental fishery, the Salmon and Trout Association, in partnership with the Seiont, Gwyrfai & Llyfni Angling Association in North Wales and the Carmarthenshire Fishermens Federation in South Wales will be sponsoring two special focus meetings to draw wider attention to the problem and to help support the growing international pressure against any continuation of this lethal fishery in its present form.

The principal speaker at these important events will be Niall Greene who is chairman of the “Stop Drift Nets Now” campaign in the Republic of Ireland. [see www.stopnow.ie .] This well organised lobby group is attempting to force a reluctant Irish Government to abolish drift net fishing for mixed stocks of salmon in Irish coastal waters. They need our support.

 Anyone wishing to attend the meeting in Caernarfon should contact Huw Hughes (telephone/e-mail?) to register an early interest as space may be limited. Admission is free.

Ends.