FISSTA – the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers - have reacted angrily to the failure of the Minister of State for Marine Pat the Cope Gallagher TD to accept the latest scientific advice. The Minister in a bizarre statement, has rejected this advice in favour of 2002 advice according to his comments at the Joint Oireachtas Sub Committee Review on Salmon angling and netting in which he declares: "I remain strongly persuaded of the case to move, sooner rather than later, to the national conservation limits as recommended by scientists. It is my intention to have in place by 2007 national district quotas aligned on scientific advice. From that year onwards, we will manage salmon on a sustainable basis according to world-class scientific advice."

Mr. Edward Power, Chairman of FISSTA, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers warned that “This Minister has the responsibility to manage, protect and develop the salmon resource, and he is failing to recognise and address HIS IMMEDIATE PROBLEM, which is our dwindling stocks. We will support any initiative he proposes that will return the salmon to abundance. However, he proposes nothing only keep on netting the resource and hope for the best, as he obviously does not believe his own scientific figures.

Neither does his colleague Senator Keneally, when he publicly states: "I take comfort from what the Minister of State said about the quota of 139,900 (as against the scientific advice 90,000) for the coming year. While he has not made a final decision on it he said that his predecessors have followed the evidence as presented to them. I hope that figure will not be altered." Such blind support for commercial netting at the expense of our salmon stocks is out of tune with the long established views of international community. They demand action now by compensating the nets men for their contribution to conservation by stopping drift netting now. This buyout approach has been achieved to date by many Governments under the broker ship of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund.

Mr Ben Bradshaw MP – Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries in the British Government gives us great support when his Charter declares the following: "We will encourage the Irish Government to act in a similar way to DEFRA, by facilitating a partnership with private fishery interests to bring about a voluntary cessation of drift net fishing off the coast of the Irish Republic, with compensation paid to licensees. This would be seen as persuading the Irish Government to abide by its responsibilities under both the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) and the European Union." It is alarming to hear our Minister of State declare that he does not propose to take any meaningful steps to protect the salmon until his final days in office.