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Minister Dooley launches public consultation on future management and recovery of Ireland's wild Atlantic salmon
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- Consultation follows comprehensive review of Ireland’s Salmon Management Framework by Inland Fisheries Ireland
- Views sought on more precautionary management measures for 2027 and longer-term actions to support recovery of salmon stocks
Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment Timmy Dooley has today launched a public consultation on the future management, protection and recovery of Ireland's wild Atlantic salmon.
The consultation follows a comprehensive review of Ireland's Salmon Management Framework, undertaken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) earlier this year at the request of Minister Dooley. The review finds that Ireland’s wild Atlantic salmon stocks are in serious and sustained decline, with the number of wild salmon returning to Ireland falling from well over one million annually during the 1970s to fewer than 200,000 in recent years.
Launching the consultation, Minister Dooley said:
"Wild Atlantic salmon are an iconic species and an important part of Ireland’s heritage. However, we cannot take it for granted that salmon will always be present in Irish rivers. Atlantic salmon are now classified as 'near threatened' globally and without effective action we risk the loss of salmon from Irish rivers where they have been present for generations.
"There is no single cause and no single measure that will reverse this decline. We now need to consider both how we manage the salmon that return to our rivers today and what more we can do to give these stocks the best possible chance of recovery over the longer term."
The consultation seeks stakeholder views on a package of precautionary measures for the management of salmon exploitation, with a view to informing arrangements for the 2027 fishing season. These measures would operate alongside the existing annual scientific assessment of individual salmon stocks. Scientific advice would continue to determine whether rivers can support harvest, catch-and-release angling, or should remain closed.
Proposed measures include:
- Applying a more precautionary threshold when determining whether individual salmon stocks can support harvest
- Potential catch-and-release angling on rivers that would otherwise be closed
- Restrictions on the period during which recreational harvest may take place
- Reduced recreational bag limits, and
- Additional protections for larger salmon
The consultation also seeks views on wider issues arising from IFI's review, including catch-and-release safeguards, scientific monitoring and data, and measure that could contribute to the longer-term recovery of salmon stocks.
Minister Dooley added:
"Managing exploitation is an important part of salmon conservation but restricting fishing alone will not restore our salmon stocks. Our longer-term focus must be on creating conditions where salmon can recover – protecting and improving habitats, addressing barriers to fish migration, improving water quality and strengthening our science and monitoring. This consultation is therefore about more than the 2027 season. It is an opportunity to help shape how we protect and rebuild salmon stocks for the future."
The consultation is open for 4 weeks and will close at 5:30pm on Friday, 30, October. It can be viewed at the following link: Consultation on proposals for the management of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Salmon Fisheries from 2027.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
Status of Atlantic Salmon
Wild Atlantic salmon stocks have undergone a significant long-term decline in Ireland. Annual returns have fallen from over one million in the 1970s to less than 200,000 in recent years. The decline reflects pressures across the salmon lifecycle. Reduced survival at sea is considered the major driver, while salmon are also affected by pressures in freshwater and coastal environments, including water quality, habitat degradation, barriers to migration, climate change and interactions with aquaculture. In 2023, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUNC) reclassified Atlantic salmon globally from 'Least Concern' to 'Near Threatened'.
Ireland's Salmon Management Framework
Ireland manages wild Atlantic salmon stocks on a river-by-river basis. Scientific advice on Irish salmon stocks is provided annually through the Technical Expert Group of Salmon (TEGOS). This advice informs decisions on whether individual rivers may be open for harvest, open for catch-and-release only, or closed to salmon fishing. Annual assessments are based on whether the individual river stocks are meeting their conservation limit, the number of spawning salmon needed to maintain the stock at a sustainable level. The measures being considered through this public consultation would operate alongside the annual scientific assessment process and would not replace it.
Review of the Salmon Management Framework
In February 2026, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment Timmy Dooley requested Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to undertake a review of Ireland's Salmon Management Framework. The review considered the effectiveness of the existing framework, the pressures affecting wild Atlantic salmon and options for strengthening the management, protection and recovery of salmon stocks.
IFI's review concluded that the existing river-by-river scientific management framework remains broadly fit for purpose, but that a more precautionary approach to exploitation should be considered along with actions to support the longer-term recovery of salmon stocks. IFI's review has been published as part of this public consultation process.