Hi folks.

I have just read an article relating to a fishery located here in Ireland called Lough Inagh, a beautiful fishery in the west of county Galway, in the heart of Connemara. The lake is linked to the sea by the Ballynahinch river which enters the sea at Bertraboy bay. In this bay, within a few hundred metres of the estuary, salmon cages are located.
For more details see the below thread on this issue from last year. Well the problem has not gone away. One of Irelands top fly fishers, Dennis Moss penned an article which was published last year in trout and salmon early last year. I have taken the liberty of posting part of this article for forum members to read.


http://www.flyforums.co.uk/viewpoint...ch-system.html


NATURE IS RESILIENT. Man can abuse all that is wild and beautiful and take it to the threshold of extinction. We do not have to go to exotic locations to see evidence of our misdemeanours. Sadly we have examples of this abuse here within our own shores. When it is close to our own doorstep, we brush it away. Government has ignored it, most of the country is unaware of it, and yet the plight of the sea-trout is a classic example of our abuse of a wild species. All along the west coast of Ireland and Scotland, the sea-trout, one of the most sporting fish to swim in our waters, has been taken to that threshold of extinction.
It is to our shame that as guardians of our environment we anglers have failed them; we spare no expense or time pursuing these enigmatic fish, and yet when it comes to protecting our sport we have been totally ineffectual. The RSPB would not allow this to happen to a bird species. Do these fish not deserve to fulfil their evolutionary destiny (as searunning brown trout), without having to face the gauntlet of coastal waters plagued with sea-lice? The irony is that it was once suggested that salmon farming could benefit our wild migratory species, when it has in fact turned out to be their nemesis. And yet as tenuous as their hold on life is, pockets of beleaguered sea-trout hold on, just waiting for a window of opportunity once again to run the rivers into the loughs of their ancestors. Such is the resourcefulness of nature: give it half a chance and like a good champion it will bounce back. I’m looking at the 2008 angling report for Lough Inagh, and for seatrout lovers it makes good reading.
For the first time in over 20 years well over 700 sea-trout were reported from Lough Inagh – a positive sign and one which we hope will continue. We do not fully know why the runs of migratory fish have increased, but Colin Folan, the fishery manager attributes the increase to a change in the aquaculture of the estuary into which the Ballynahinch River discharges from salmon smolt rearing to marine fish production. There are no certainties in fishing but Colin’s theory would seem a plausible explanation. If the change of aquaculture in Bertraghboy Bay is the reason for the increased runs of not only the sea-trout, but also the salmon, then it is disappointing to see that once again salmon smolt rearing has resumed in the bay (Newscast, January issue). The resumption of salmon smolt rearing is a little disconcerting for all concerned at both Lough Inagh and Ballynahinch, and hopefully this is a practice that will not continue for too much longer. It would have been interesting to see another year without a change of policy of the aquaculture for the estuary: who knows, the catch for 2009 could have topped 1,000 fish for the first time since the demise of the seatrout runs in the ’80s. A continuing
improvement of the run would not only have produced increased numbers of bigger fish, but those adult trout returning from another season of sea feeding would have been returning in the 2½ lb-3½ lb – possibly as much as 4 lb – range. Much food for thought – and it could still happen.

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Ok folks, so why do we think that our sea trout and salmon do not get protected?? A couple of years ago i seem to remember hearing a story where the building of a motorway was halted due to some lesser spotted small tailed frog or toad or something of the sort. How is it that no one i know cares much for toads or frogs yet they are protected, while there are certainly tens of thousands of us who are passionate about trout and salmon and yet the powers that be don't seem to be a bit bothered about our fisheries being destroyed yet again, just as had been done all along the west coast for over 20 years... No lesson learned...

This fishery and the Ballynahinch fishery downsteam are beautiful locations. I have been fortunate to fish them both several times, and i have to say that i absolutely love them both. I would say that Inagh lake is one of the very few places i would fish and still be happy enough if i didn't catch. I can't say that about many places thats for sure...

If you feel you would like to help with this situation, why not send a letter or email to the relevant minister. Be sure to include your address therefore they have to at least send a letter of acknowledgement.

minister@agriculture.gov.ie

For further details click on the fly forums link below.

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/viewpoint...ch-system.html

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Thanks
JJ

JJ, has there been any response to the petition we signed last year?

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Hi mies
The petition was presented to the minister towards the end of last year. Who knows what impact this will have, but at the very least he now knows that there are 2500 people who do care what happens to this fishery.

Perhaps if his office was bombarded with a heap of letters he might take more notice??

Cheers
JJ

Cheers Beanzy. You make an interesting point regarding the reasons why the general public are not interested in this issue. As Dennis Moss put it, we have failed the sea trout..

Thanks for your offer to write to the minister. I am in the middle of writing another letter myself

Cheers
JJ