Submission by Michael Hodgins – Drogheda, Boyne River Draft net fisherman.
My family and I have been fishing the river Boyne for generations, like most of my
fellow net men I am, to use an academic phrase, the repository of the organisational
memory. In simple terms I was taught everything my father knew about the river
Boyne, just as I have taught my sons everything I know about the river Boyne. The
river, which gave us the legendary ‘Salmon of Knowledge’.
Generations before it became fashionable to be environmentally aware, the draft net
men of the Boyne were aware what was happening to their river. In settlement time
the draft net men had rights to fish the river Boyne. Up to, maybe, 20 years ago the
ordinary man could not fish for salmon on the Boyne, he fished the Nanny. Therefore
there was never an issue about stocking levels as only the draft net men and the
lordship class fished for salmon on the Boyne.
Any demand for a reduced fishing effort is now due to the anglers overfishing the
Boyne. After all there are now 9 fishing clubs where 20 years ago there were none.
Six years ago the draft net men agreed a reduced limit on the number caught to help
the stock recover. In that six years, where the nets men took a reduction, the angler
continued fishing. It is not surprising to see no stock recovery.
Sanctuary
Anglers have no sanctuary; they are sportsmen who can fish 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year. Gun clubs have a sanctuary; the duck and grouse have a
sanctuary, as they can only be shot in season. Draft net men have a sanctuary; nets
men are only allowed to fish in certain places, and at certain times. The angler can
fish all year round, when the salmon are not in the river at the start of the season they
can take two weeks off by starting the salmon season a fortnight later and extend the
season by these saved two weeks when the river has salmon. Whatever about the
sportsman with no sanctuary, anglers cannot claim to have the environment or
sustainability in mind with any campaign to end the salmon net man, be they drift or
draft netters.
Pollution
This is the single greatest cause of salmon decline in the Boyne. The Boyne like all
rivers is in a valley surrounded by land that drains into it. With modern farming the
river is being strangled of life. Gone are the trout and we do not have any aquaculture
industry at our doorstep. King Billy was the largest trout ever caught in Europe and
he was caught in the river Boyne in 1962 and he weighed in at 28.5 lbs.
Where are 8 stone founder that we caught when I was a child, where are the sole we
caught, the periwinkles, the mussels. In my lifetime over 20 species have gone from
the Boyne. There were not species that the net men or anglers caught, yet they have
gone, the only answer can be pollution, because if the net men or the angler did not do
for these species, pollution has to be to blame. I’m not a scientist, but I see the effects
of what the pollution is doing and how it has changed the Boyne in my lifetime.
To counter this there needs to be legislative change that ensures water keepers have
full responsibility for rivers including keeping the spawning of the various species in
top condition, accessible to the fish and pollution free and that anyone who pollutes or
destroys a spawning bed should be fully prosecuted.
It seems beyond belief to see the fined you would have to pay for having an illegal
fish, whereas pollute a river and kill thousands of fish, dig out a spawning bed and
destroy a fishery can be taken as accidents and only get a small fine.
The way forward
This can best be posed as a series of questions
 The lack of reason for Official actions has to be examined.
What sort of a law or regulation says that to have a person under 18 on a boat
netting for fish is illegal, but that same person under 18 can go as angler and
land that fish without any sanction.
 How can the angler change the start and end of the fishing season?
 Why has a salmon tag to be used from the quota when a trout is landed? The
salmon angler does not have to count a trout he lands as being his salmon bag
for the day.
 Why, as sportsman is there no sanctuary for anglers like the net men?
 Pollution must be ended
 Re establish the full role and function of the water keeper
 Stiffen the penalties for pollution offences or damage to a spawning bed.