Salmon Angling Regulations 2019
Irish State Salmon Licence
A State Licence is required by every salmon angler.
The types & prices are as outlined below.
Area Period Price
All Regions 1 Day € 20
All Regions 21 Day € 40
1 Region All Season € 56
All Regions All Season €100
Juvenile (under 18). All Regions/Season € 10
The normal one required for a visitor for a week’s fishing is the 21 day licence.
Salmon Fishery Regulations (Summary)
It is prohibited to sell rod caught salmon or sea trout over 40cm.
The annual catch limit is 10 salmon or seatrout over 40cm in total for 2019.
There is also a daily bag limit of three sea trout (under 40cm) per angler per day.
Catch and Release
Once a bag limit has been caught, it is permitted to continue fishing
practising catch & release provided that single barbless hooks are used.
Barbed double or treble hooks can be modified to comply.
The use of worms is prohibited when catch & release applies.
The bag limits are as follows:
Period
January 1 to May 11 - 3 fish per licence in total.
- 1 fish/day maximum.
May 12 to August 31 - Daily bag limit of 3 fish.
September 1 to September 30. - Daily bag limit of 1 fish.
Salmon Angling Regulations 2019
Please note that the links mentioned below will bring you to the Fishing Ireland (www.fishingireland.net) site.
You can download the regulations from the following links.
Angelvorschriften für Lachse und Meerforellen 2018
Salmon and Sea Trout Angling Regulations 2018
Réglementations pour la pêche du saumon
1. BAG LIMITS
There is an angling bag limit of 10 salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40 cm) on the Cork Blackwater where you may catch and retain salmon. The bag limits are subject to any quota allocated to a river and its tributaries.
Subject to the maximum annual bag limit of ten fish an angler may take:
A total of one salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day for the period beginning January 1st to May 11th (three fish in total may be retained for this period),
Daily Bag Limit: Three salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from May 12th to August 31st (except where a salmon rod (one-day) ordinary licence is held, 1 fish),
Daily Bag Limit: One salmon (any size) or sea trout (over 40cm) per day from 1st September to the close of the season,
There is an angling bag limit of three sea trout (under 40cm) per angler per day.
After the daily bag limit has been taken, anglers are permitted to fish catch and release, using single, or double barbless hooks and anglers may not use worms. The killing and possession of foul hooked fish is prohibited.
On rivers where catch and release is permitted (Table 2):
anglers may not use worms,
anglers must use single or double, barbless hooks,
the fish must be handled carefully and should not be removed from the water prior to release.
2. OBTAINING A LICENCE
Anglers can obtain their licence from Inland Fisheries Ireland or any rod licence distributor. On payment of the rod licence fee, the angler will be given:
The relevant rod licence.
A logbook.
3 gill tags where a salmon rod (annual) ordinary, juvenile, district or 21-day ordinary licence is issued up until 11th May and a further 7 gill tags (issued in lots of 3 or 4) from the period 12th May to 30th Sept up to a maximum of 10 gill tags in total provided they demonstrate that they have completed their logbook appropriately.
1 gill tag where a one day ordinary licence is issued up until the close of the season.
A business reply envelope for return of the logbook and unused tags to the relevant Inland Fisheries Ireland office.
A plastic wallet for the logbook.
3. THE TAG
The tag to be used by anglers is a blue plastic self-locking device (an additional brown tag is also required for certain rivers – (refer to Table 1 – Open Fisheries 2019) to ensure angling quotas are not exceeded. Contact the relevant IFI office for details on how to obtain brown tags). Each blue tag is embossed with a code identifying where the tag was issued, the year in which the tag can be used, a security code and a tag serial number.
Anglers should carefully note the following concerning the use of these tags:
Each rod licence holder will be issued tags for his/her use only. Tags are not transferable between licence holders.
These tags shall not be re-used.
One tag shall be attached to each salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40 cm) caught and retained.
Tags must be attached immediately on landing the fish.
Tags shall be attached through the gill opening and mouth of the fish and securely double locked around the gill cover.
Additional tags shall be issued on presentation of logbook information showing that the licence holder has used the gill tags issued to him or her, subject to bag limits.
Lost and accidentally destroyed tags may be replaced upon presentation of a signed declaration completed by the angler and signed by an Authorised Officer of Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Gill tags shall only be removed from the fish at the time of processing in accordance with the Tagging Scheme Regulations. For the purposes of this scheme processing includes: smoking, marinating or cooking the fish, gutting and freezing the fish or cutting any steaks, cutlets or portions of the fish.
4. THE LOGBOOK
On receipt of tags the angler will also receive a logbook. Details of the gill tags issued to an angler will be entered into the angler’s logbook by the issuing agent.
Each angler shall:
Have the logbook in his/her possession while fishing for salmon or sea trout.
Record all details of their catch in their logbook immediately after tagging the fish.
Make a catch record even if the fish is released (including kelts and baggots).
Record details of any lost or damaged tags.
Declare lost or damaged logbooks to Inland Fisheries Ireland.
5. RETURNING LOGBOOKS AND UNUSED TAGS
In accordance with the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Regulations anglers are required by law to return their completed logbook (even if there is no catch recorded) and all unused tags to the issuing office of Inland Fisheries Ireland by the 19th October annually. A business reply envelope is provided for this purpose. Anglers are required to obtain proof of postage and to retain such proof for 12 months.
6. PROHIBITION ON THE SALE OF ROD CAUGHT SALMON OR SEA TROUT
Anglers are prohibited from selling salmon (any size) or sea trout (any size) caught by rod and line.
These guidelines have been prepared for information purposes only and do not purport to be a legal interpretation. The holder of a rod licence should familiarise himself or herself with section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act, 2010 (No. 10 of 2010), the current Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations and the Salmon and Sea Trout Conservation Bye-laws.
To purchase your licence, click on one of the following links which will bring you to Fishing Ireland (www.fishingireland.net) site.:
