Our fishery is based in Loughros Mór estuary to the west of Ardara. Draft net fishing for wild Atlantic salmon has taken place on this estuary for hundreds of years and is one of the oldest traditional fishing methods amongst coastal communities in Ireland still in use. Today, there are just 6 licences remaining on Loughros Mór estuary.
Since the Owenea and Owentocker rivers and Loughros Mór estuary) re-opened in 2021, Inland Fisheries Ireland has restricted our season to the 1st to 21st July (3 weeks). They have placed both rivers on brown tag, which restricted anglers to retaining one fish only and compulsory catch and release for the remainder of their season (30th April to 30th September). During this time all other draft net fisheries across Ireland have been open from the 12th May to 31st July (10 weeks). Also, since 2021, the licence to fish attached to Loughros Mór estuary has increased to €545 (up from €400).
The tight season timeframe has placed great pressure and strain on the availability of crew members to fish suitable low tides. In line with the national weekly close time we are not allowed to fish from 6am on Saturday to Monday 6am each week. Work, family and personal commitments are just some of the factors people must juggle. Many licence holders are also farmers with the restricted season period coinciding with silage harvesting time.
Over the past number of years, we have tried consistently to engage with state bodies in order to obtain parity for our fishery in line with the other draft net fisheries across Ireland. In December 2024, we learned that 540 surplus tags (the largest quota granted since 2016) had been advised for the Owenea and Owentocker rivers and Loughros Mór estuary for 2025. This larger surplus means brown tag restrictions have been lifted for anglers with national bag limits of 10 fish max. applying.
The fishing community now feel that unless we take immediate action to rectify the situation ahead of the 2025 season that the draft net fishery will be continuously mistreated, and the tradition eroded into the years ahead. Therefore, we have decided to call a public meeting with public representatives invited for next Monday 10th February at 7.30pm in Crannógbuí National School, Loughros Point, Ardara. F94 H422. In setting this date we were mindful of Dail sitting days and the end date for the consultation.
