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Joint Oireachtas Committee – Salmon Conservation – Newsletter Number 37
Across all submissions to the Committee, one message is clear: Atlantic salmon are in crisis. Despite some gaps in the data, the overall trend is unmistakable—stocks are in sustained decline. Now is the time to act decisively to halt and reverse that decline. In this newsletter, we outline the key evidence presented, reflect on the discussion at Committee level, and set out why current pressures on salmon—both in freshwater and at sea—require a far more precautionary and coordinated response. We also highlight a number of critical concerns, including: The continued exploitation of vulnerable stocks in certain river systems The need for a precautionary approach where even moderate surpluses are protected The importance of stronger alignment between policy and scientific advice The role all stakeholders, including recreational fishers, must play in conservation Alongside the newsletter, we have submitted a number of supporting materials, including our opening statement, a policy document, and additional evidence presented to the Committee. Links to video recordings of the session are also available. A full transcript will be shared once published. This is a pivotal moment. The decisions taken now will determine whether wild Atlantic salmon recover—or continue their path toward collapse. We encourage you to read and share the newsletter, and to continue supporting efforts to protect and restore this iconic species. Thank you for your continued support. Salmon Watch Ireland Newsletter Number 37
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Newsletter Number 36 – 10 April- Response to New Salmon Regulations
Please find the response of Salmon Watch Ireland to salmon regulations as signed into law in early April. Some positives but overall a disappointing outcome with little concrete advances to protect wild salmon. We ask that all anglers abide by the code of conduct as laid out in the newsletter. We hope for a better outcome for salmon into the future. While the weather presently is not conducive to angling, it is certainly a help in protecting adults returning and smolts will have an abundance of water to safely avoid serious predation pressures. Hopefully these conditions prevail until May. Newsletter Number 36 10 April 2026
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Newsletter Number 35 – 31 March 2026 -Pollution Portal Salmon Watch Ireland
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Ireland Water Pollution Reporting Portal, designed to make it quicker and easier for the public to report suspected pollution incidents and help protect our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Recent events, including the devastating fish kill on the Blackwater and other serious pollution incidents across the country, have highlighted just how vulnerable our waterways are—and how important timely reporting can be. Early intervention can make a real difference in preventing long-term environmental damage. This portal brings together key reporting information in one place, helping you to: Identify pollution incidents Contact the correct authority quickly Follow a clear, standard reporting procedure Provide useful details (including photos and location) that support investigation and enforcement We strongly encourage anyone who spends time near water—anglers, farmers, walkers, and local communities—to make use of this resource. The resource is available on our website and can be downloaded to your phone if required. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Newsletter Number 35 - 31 March 2026
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Salmon Aquaculture – History and Information Resource
Salmon Watch Ireland has recently published its latest newsletter examining the relationship between salmon aquaculture and the future of wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout in Ireland. The newsletter outlines key issues currently being discussed in Ireland and internationally, including sea lice, disease risks, regulatory oversight, and the wider environmental debate surrounding open-net salmon farming in coastal waters. It also highlights the potential implications for wild salmonid populations that migrate through areas where aquaculture operations are located. We are sharing this publication as an information resource for the public and for anyone interested in the science, policy and environmental questions surrounding salmon aquaculture in Ireland. Further background information and related resources are also available on the Salmon Watch Ireland website: https://salmonwatchireland.ie/salmon-farming-ireland/ Please feel free to share this with colleagues or anyone who may have an interest in the future of wild salmon and sea trout.
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Pelagic Fisheries and Salmon
We are pleased to share Newsletter 32 (19 February 2026) from Salmon Watch Ireland, focusing on emerging evidence of Atlantic salmon bycatch in pelagic fisheries of the Nordic Seas. This edition highlights: Documented salmon catches during the International Ecosystem Summer Survey in the Nordic Seas (IESSNS), including 126 salmon recorded in 2025 surface trawls. Growing international policy attention, with Atlantic salmon formally added to the ICES list of species of bycatch relevance. The westward expansion of mackerel fisheries since 2005–2007 and the implications for salmon during critical marine feeding migrations. Concerns regarding the blue whiting fishery around the Faroe Islands during the March–April period. Reflections on improved salmon size and returns in 2020 during reduced pelagic fishing effort, and what this may (and may not) indicate. The evidence demonstrates clear spatial overlap between offshore pelagic fisheries and salmon during key marine phases. While comprehensive North Atlantic bycatch estimates remain unavailable, systematic reporting is now being formalised — an important step forward. Our policy position is straightforward: improved monitoring, mandatory and standardised reporting, genetic identification of any salmon caught, and greater integration of ecosystem and fisheries data are essential to ensure pelagic fisheries do not contribute avoidable additional mortality to vulnerable salmon stocks. Our aim remains unchanged: to keep all interested parties informed so that responsible, evidence-based conservation can take place. This is a space for constructive contribution and shared understanding. Above all, our collective objective is clear — more salmon reaching their spawning grounds, not fewer. Thank you for your continued support. Newsletter Number 32 - Feb 20 2026
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A changing ecosystem – The decline of Atlantic salmon
In this issue, we introduce recent peer-reviewed scientific research that provides important insight into the continuing decline of Atlantic salmon at sea. While much attention has focused on rivers, the evidence increasingly shows that the greatest losses are occurring in the marine environment — particularly in the critical early weeks after young salmon enter the ocean. Three recent studies point to a major ecosystem shift in the Northeast Atlantic around 2005, with long-term declines in plankton productivity and marine energy availability. The findings suggest that reduced food availability — rather than simple temperature “shock” — is now a key driver of lower growth and survival. The implications are significant. If marine productivity remains depressed, recovery to historic salmon abundance will be extremely difficult without addressing every avoidable human pressure, both at sea and in coastal waters. This newsletter summarises the headline findings and provides links to the three scientific papers. We hope you find it informative and, as always, we welcome your feedback and continued support. Newsletter Number 31 - 10 Feb 2026
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Newsletter Number 30 – 07Feb 2025
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. 2026
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Salmon Watch Ireland Newsletter Issue Number 28 – 10 January 2026
Irish Salmon at a Crossroads: What the Latest Science Is Telling Us A series of recent scientific reports paint a clear and concerning picture for Atlantic salmon in Ireland. Taken together, long-term monitoring in rivers and new research on marine ecosystems show that salmon declines are being driven by linked pressures across the entire life cycle, from reduced ocean productivity to chronically low spawning escapement in freshwater.
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Newsletter Number 26 – Changing Waters – Why salmon need full system protection more than ever.
We are publishing this newsletter as a result of suggestions that some individuals argue that catch-and-release does little to help revive wild salmon, claiming that broader environmental pressures make angling practices irrelevant. We fundamentally disagree. In rivers that are below their Conservation Limit, every surviving adult is vital to the future of the stock. When marine survival is at historic lows and multiple pressures—warming waters, predation, habitat loss,aquaculture impacts, and bycatch—are already removing fish at every stage of their life cycle, the one thing we can control immediately is exploitation. Catch-and-release is not a cure-all, but it is a crucial, measurable way to ensure more spawners reach the gravel. It is an act of responsibility, restraint, and stewardship—and when stocks are depleted, releasing salmon is one of the most direct contributions an individual can make to the recovery of the species.
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Gearhies Bantry Bay Submission – Salmon Watch Ireland
Salmon Watch Ireland (SWI) submits that aquaculture licences T05/122 and T05/122A cannot lawfully be renewed. The application by Murphy’s Irish Sea Food fails to meet fundamental requirements under the Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive (WFD), EIA Directive, and the Nature Restoration Law, and does not remove the scientific doubt necessary to permit authorisation. Legal Compliance Not Achieved • Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive requires no reasonable scientific doubt of no adverse effects on SACs—this threshold is not met. • Article 6(4) cannot apply: no imperative reasons of overriding public interest (IROPI) exist. • Under the WFD, any deterioration of High-Status waters is unlawful outside narrow exceptions that are not invoked here. • Irish case law (Connelly, Kelly, SWI v ALAB) confirms that consent cannot be granted where scientific uncertainty persists. Full Text Here
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