Salmon Watch Ireland response to updated draft tagging regulations
Salmon Watch Ireland acknowledges that the updated draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2026 include measures that continue to provide important protection for spring salmon, particularly through the retention of strict controls outside the main summer harvest period. The organisation recognises the importance of safeguarding early running fish, which remain under pressure in many river systems.
However, Salmon Watch Ireland is concerned by several elements of the revised draft, particularly where changes represent a reduction in precaution compared with the previous draft regulations.
