Minister Dooley announces second public consultation on the draft 2026 Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations
- Published on: 4 February 2026
- Last updated on: 4 February 2026
Further public input sought as government responds to continued decline in salmon and sea trout stocks
Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley today announced the launch of a second public consultation on the draft Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2026. This consultation provides stakeholders and members of the public with a further opportunity to comment on the draft Regulations before they are finalised.
Announcing the launch, Minister Dooley said:
"I want to thank all the stakeholders who took the time to submit their views on the first consultation process. 326 submissions were received and your constructive feedback, alongside the scientific advice, has informed the updated draft regulations.
"This second consultation provides stakeholders with another opportunity to review the measures being proposed and to share their views before the regulations are finalised. I would again encourage you all to participate in this process."
The first consultation attracted a significant response from a range of stakeholders, demonstrating a shared concern for the long-term conservation and management of wild salmon and sea trout stocks. All 326 submissions received within the consultation period have been considered and a consultation report, summarising the key themes raised by stakeholders, has been published on the consultation page. The feedback received has informed a refinement of the draft regulations. Pending finalisation of these regulations, the existing regulatory framework provided by the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 741/2024) and associated byelaws will remain in effect.
Declining stocks continue to be a significant challenge. In their 2026 Catch Advice, the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS) reports that the number of wild salmon returning to Ireland has progressively declined from well over 1 million for much of the 1970s to under 200,000 in recent years. The decline stocks are also evident in catch statistics published by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), with current catches at less than half the levels seen in the 2000s.
In this context, the Minister has written to IFI, asking them to review the existing approach to salmon management and to consider what options are available for the protection and recovery of stocks. This work, backed by scientific advice, will inform future policy decisions in this area.
The Minister also said:
"The continued decline in stocks is of great concern to me. I have asked Inland Fisheries Ireland for their views on the existing salmon management regime and to consider what options may be available to address the ongoing decline in stocks, up to and including a moratorium on the harvesting of salmon."
This consultation is being held in line with the statutory requirement to make the draft regulations available for comment and invites views from all interested parties before final regulations are made. Details of how to make a submission, along with the draft regulations and the supporting scientific reports, are available on the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment's website.
The consultation will be open for 30 days, closing at 5.30pm on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
- The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme is provided for under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010, which empowers the Minister to make regulations for the tagging and tracking of wild salmon and sea trout and related conservation measures
- The main conservation measures that apply within the Tagging Scheme include river-specific conservation limits, bag limits and seasonal controls
- The Regulations are revised each year taking account of advice from Inland Fisheries Ireland and annual stock assessments by the supporting independent Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS), copies of which are published on the consultation page
- The scheme underpins the sustainable management of Ireland's wild salmon and sea fisheries by:
- Controlling and monitoring the number of fish harvested
- Ensuring the tagging and recording of fish is retained, and
- Allowing river-specific management based on a scientific assessment of stocks
- These regulations determine the number of rivers open for harvest, open for 'catch and release' or closed for the 2026 season