Bye-Law 888 Gets A Haircut

 As announced by the minister last night in the Seanad…….

Following concerns raised with Inland Fisheries Ireland by a delegation from the Angling Council of Ireland which included representatives from all major angling disciplines (including IFPAC).

The following changes will be implemented:

1. Bye Law 888 will shortly be revoked and replaced by Bye Law 897 2012. This change will have the effect of removing a number of provisions which had the unintended consequences in the implementation of Bye Law 888.

2. While this particular Bye Law was part of the proposed Salmon management regulations, it is recognised that those proposals had the potential to ultimately affect coarse and Pike anglers. These anglers would not necessarily have had reason previously to examine the consultation documents for Salmon management and hence they did not appreciate the significance of the proposed Bye-Law.

Therefore, following discussion with the Angling delegation, it has been agreed that for future years, in addition to publication on my Departments's website, the advisory/consultation documentation will be sent directly to the main angler representative bodies in advance of sign off. The angling representatives can then disseminate to their members and other interested parties.

3. Reference to banning prawn and shrimp as angling baits be removed from the Bye-Law.

4. Remove the River Fergus system from the Bye-Law.

5. Remove the Kilcolgan River from the Bye-Law.

6. All other issues can be dealt with through giving a clear communication of the spirit and intent of the Bye-Law and how it is going to be implemented.