Public Consultation opens on new Bye-law

for sea trout and brown trout on River Bandon

Tuesday, 18th December 2018: Inland Fisheries Ireland is hosting a public consultation around a proposed Bye-law which focuses on the conservation of sea trout and brown trout on the River Bandon. Submissions from interested parties are now invited during the consultation period in respect of the Bye-law.

The new Bye-law aims to help conserve the numbers of brown trout of all sizes taken from upstream areas of the river and its tributaries as well as the numbers of young sea trout taken in the lower river and upper estuary. There is currently no minimum length size specified when catching and retaining a sea trout or brown trout on the river. In addition, there is no ‘bag limit’ on the number of brown trout an angler can retain.

The new bye law would:

– Set a minimum length of 25 centimetres for any sea trout or any brown trout caught and retained on the waters of the River Bandon and its tributaries.

– Set a bag limit of not more than three brown trout per day on the waters of the River Bandon and its tributaries.

– Require anglers to fish catch & release methods, ban the use of worms and allow only single, barbless hooks in angling for brown trout once the three per day bag limit had been reached.

Interested parties should make a submission to the consultation in writing. Submissions should be marked ‘Public consultation – River Bandon (Conservation of Trout)’ and be submitted by post to: Inland Fisheries Ireland, Sunnside House, Macroom, Co. Cork, P12 X602 or by email to bandonriverbyelaw@fisheriesireland.ie .

The Public Consultation period will run for 14 days and the deadline for receipt of submissions is 5pm on Monday, 31^st of December 2018.  All submissions received by Inland Fisheries Ireland will be published on its website www.fisheriesireland.ie.