Salmon Fishing ban Should Be 'Reconsidered' Says Report

A new report has called for the ban of salmon fishing to be reconsidered.

Looking at the survival of Donegal’s offshore islands the report claims scientists agree that there is now a surplus of wild salmon in the Atlantic and says that island fishermen should have access to 10% of that surplus.

The Department of Development and Planning has compiled the report after being initiated by the islanders, it says the Donegal’s islands are at a crossroads.

It calls for the fair treatment of small island communities and the right to practise traditional livelihoods that are ecologically sustainable.

The report highlights how the population on islands like Arranmore have dropped steadily, which it says is principally due to the limited number of employment opportunities.

It focuses on the ban on the traditional practice of fishing for wild salmon in 2006 and the subsequent closing of Area 6A in 2008 as having a particularly negative impact on Arranmore.

These two closures meant that locals could only fish for lobster and brown crab, the report says.

It says that at in 1988 the population of Arranmore was 768 but now there are only 487 residents. It claims many former islanders would come back if they could get work.

The report claims that the fisheries closures had a direct impact on the population decline and also on the closure of five businesses on the island including a hotel, a pub and three shops and they also contributed to the loss of €1m a year from the annual economy.