Anglers’ unrest: Salmon fishers angry Galway’s Salmon Weir is closed again due to hot water in Corrib
Anglers have reacted angrily after Galway Salmon Weir and the local High Bank was closed for fishing for days for the second time this year.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) closed the facility due to high water temperatures in the River Corrib.
The Salmon Weir was shut on June 22 and May 28. It remained closed yesterday (July 1).
According to the IFI’s Warm Water Protocol, which came into effect in recent years, water temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius in rivers can cause stress to the fish.
It’s understood IFI refunded anglers from abroad or across Ireland who had booked fishing days at the Weir for late June.
In a statement, Galway City Salmon Angling Association (GCSAA) said its members were furious when IFI announced on June 22 that the Weir was being closed that midnight.
Anglers were hopeful this week that the river could reopen in the coming days if the IFI gets two readings of water temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius over two consecutive days.
They said it was strange, however, that Galway Fishery was closed and yet angling continued in Oughterard, Cong and River Clare.
Speaking on Wednesday, Secretary of GCSAA, Billy Smyth said the facility had been closed for the past nine days, which “doesn’t make sense”.
Mr Smyth, who has fished the Weir for 50 years, said anglers believe the IFI’s protocol is “flawed”, as it is not river specific.
He claimed that with up to three gates of the Weir opened, the water would be well oxygenated, and “the salmon do not suffer as much stress as they would in other rivers”.
“It is ludicrous that we are allowed to fish when the water temperatures are rising up to 20 degrees but when the temperatures are dropping below 20 degrees we are not allowed to fish until the water temperature drops below 18 degrees on two readings over a 24 hour period,” said Mr Smyth.
He noted that the Salmon Weir was closed four times last year, for up to eight weeks.
Mr Smyth said the members of his organisation believe that if the Warm Water Protocol is not decommissioned, it will make angling unviable in Galway.
He added the river was “full of salmon and the seals are having a field day”.
Anglers have planned direct action, including a possible picket of the Weir, in the coming weeks.
IFI said it is guided by scientific advice that indicates a dramatic increase in angling-related fish deaths at temperatures above 20 degrees.