Totally 73 Irish rivers open for angling in 2017

A total of 73 Irish rivers will open for angling activity in 2017, the government said on Thursday.

But the government said all these rivers should be closed as they have no surplus of fish available for harvest.

The government has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon and sea trout fisheries. These will come into effect from Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.

"In all, 73 rivers will open for angling activity in 2017 and this will provide opportunities for all to share this important natural resource on a sustainable basis. 46 of these rivers will be fully open with a further 27 for angling on a 'catch & release' basis," Irish Minister of State Sean Kyne said.

"Ireland has been managing fisheries in accordance with the scientific advice since 2006 and that will continue. However, I am keen that after 10 years, the catch and release element of the policy is examined to explore whether changes might actually benefit the management of our fisheries," he said.

The government received management advice in relation to over 140 genetically individual wild salmon stocks in Ireland, in advance of setting out the legislation for 2017.

This advice was also made available as part of a public consultation process. Over 90 submissions were considered as part of the public consultation process. Based on this, the government has introduced conservation measures for the management of the wild salmon and sea trout fishery in 2017. Endit