The Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, Timmy Dooley, said he had no direct powers to compel Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to reverse its decision to close Cong salmon hatchery – a decision causing concern among Galway fishers, salmon conservationists, and the local angling tourism industry.

For years, the hatchery on the Galway/Mayo border has been used by IFI to produce salmon smolts to replenish declining stocks in Corrib and Erriff catchments.

But in the Dáil this week, Minister Dooley reiterated the IFI position taken at a board meeting in July that it no longer required salmon smolts from the Cong hatchery.

Minister Dooley said IFI had pointed to “scientific concerns” about the impact of releasing ranched salmon from the hatchery into a special area of conservation such as Lough Corrib.

The IFI also cited a “potential negative impact on wild populations of Atlantic salmon”, he said.

“There is no longer a research requirement within IFI to produce smolts,” said Minister Dooley, a Clare TD.

He was responding to questions from his Fianna Fáil party colleague, Galway West TD John Connolly

Deputy Connolly said he had been lobbied by angling groups, as well as Lough Corrib salmon conservationists and tourism interests who fear for the future of fishing at Salmon Weir in Galway because of this decision.

Galway and Corrib were famous for the quantity of wild salmon available, and generations of Galwegians – and tourists – have fished at the weir for years, he said.

Deputy Connolly said this year was a particularly bad one for anglers, and salmon stocks were at a “low level”.

“The decision of IFI to close the hatchery at Cong will exacerbate this and will hasten the end of their pursuit. It is of great concern. There has been a notable decline in salmon stocks on Lough Corrib over the past 50 years. The causes of this decline, of course, are complex. It is difficult to pin it on one issue. The decision to close the hatchery is not something that will ameliorate this; in fact, it will make it worse,” Deputy Connolly said.

In 2016, IFI announced it was closing some of its hatcheries, but it was retaining Cong as a strategic facility.

Its statement at the time said: “It is IFI’s intention to maintain one facility that will be used for research and necessary stocking. Cong, County Mayo has been identified as the site with most potential.”

Deputy Connolly said that “disappointingly, IFI is now alleging that it is no longer required as a research facility, while also ignoring its use for social activities and the tourism industry”.

Oughterard angler Michael Donnellan reiterated the view of many anglers across the West, which is that the IFI was closing its hatchery in Cong to avoid having to conduct environmental screening under the EU Habitats Directive, which would be necessary to keep it open.

Screening would “lay bare” the IFI’s “appalling treatment” of Lough Corrib SAC, he said.

Minister Dooley said he planned to meet anglers and invited Deputy Connolly to meet with IFI.

Pictured: Concern…Deputy John Connolly.