Loughs Agency to keep catch and release system for salmon anglers in 2024

The Loughs Agency is to retain the catch and release system for salmon fishing in the Foyle catchment for 2024.

The move comes due to a continual fall in salmon numbers recorded year-on-year.

The cross-border agency said the precautionary approach previously adopted needs to be maintained and salmon carcass tag numbers for angling licence holders will be retained in line with the policy followed in the previous three years, at a maximum of one blue tag from March 1 to  May 31  and two black tags from June 1 to  October 31.

The agency said the principal objective of the measure is to carefully manage salmon stocks in the Foyle and Carlingford systems due to concern from within the agency over conservation levels of the species.

In pictures: Glitz and glam at the Scoil Mhuire Buncrana formal

The Scoil Mhuire Buncrana formal was held in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, where there was no shortage of style

 “It is the view of some stakeholders that the agency should manage carcass tags on a catchment-by-catchment basis,” a spokesperson said. 

“The use of real-time figures can be beneficial in informing decision-making on the number of tags to be distributed per year, and how many tags can be given out for angling in each catchment.”

In the majority of rivers throughout Northern Ireland and in many locations globally, catch and release is now mandatory for salmon angling due to the pressures on sustainable populations. In these areas, no carcass tags are issued, and anglers are forbidden from retaining any fish. 

The agency says it is encouraging that most anglers in the Foyle and Carlingford areas are aware of these pressures, and now voluntarily practice catch and release.

The Loughs Agency says it is continuously working to refine estimates of salmon stocks in the Foyle and Carlingford catchments.