S.I. No. 129/2026 - Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 10th April, 2026.

I, TIMMY DOOLEY, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 (No. 10 of 2010), (as adapted by the Environment, Climate and Communications (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025 ( S.I. No. 235 of 2025 )) and the Climate, Energy and the Environment (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2025 ( S.I. No. 384 of 2025 ), hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on 3 April 2026.

2. In these Regulations, “Principal Regulations” means the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations 2018 ( S.I. No. 585 of 2018 ).

3. Regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations is amended –

(a) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (1):

“(1) A distributor shall issue to the holder of a salmon rod (annual) ordinary, juvenile or district licence 7 blue tags in respect of the period 3 April to 31 August.”,

(b) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (3):

“(3) A distributor shall issue to the holder of a salmon rod (twenty-one day) ordinary licence blue tags as follows:

(a) in respect of the period 3 April to 31 May, 1 blue tag; and

(b) in respect of the period 1 June to 31 August –

(i) 6 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in subparagraph (a) and continues into the period referred to in this subparagraph, or

(ii) 7 blue tags, where the licence commences during the period referred to in this subparagraph.”,

(c) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (4):

“(4) Tags issued under paragraph (3)(b) shall be issued in lots of 3 or 4 at such intervals in accordance with the notice under paragraph (9).”,

(d) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (5):

“(5) A distributor shall issue to the holder of a salmon rod (one-day) ordinary licence one blue tag in respect of the period 3 April to 31 August.”, and

(e) by the deletion of paragraph (6).”.

4. Regulation 5 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (1):

“(1) In addition to the tagging requirements set out in Regulation 3, where a person lawfully catches and retains a wild salmon or sea trout by rod and line during the period 3 April to 31 August in any year in respect of a river mentioned in column (2) of Schedule 4 that opens on or after 1 January in that year in accordance with bye-laws, he or she shall attach to the fish in accordance with paragraph (4) a brown tag issued to him or her under Regulation 6.”.

5. The Principal Regulations are amended by the substitution of the following Schedule for Schedule 2:

“Schedule 2

Rivers

Total Allowable Catch

”,

6. Schedule 3 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the deletion of:

“Example

A fish caught on 1 May 2019 on the River Erriff in the Ballinakill District should be identifiable from its brown tag as follows:

Code ‘Inland Fisheries Ireland H4’ and a unique tag code.”.

7. The Principal Regulations are amended by the substitution of the following Schedule for Schedule 4:

“Schedule 4

Fishery Districts and rivers to which brown tags apply

”.

GIVEN under my Hand,

2 April, 2026.

TIMMY DOOLEY,

Minister of State at the Department of

Climate, Energy and the Environment.

1 In the event that draft net fishing takes place in the Common Estuary Castlemaine, the combined total allowable catch of the rivers Caragh, Laune and Maine contributing to the fishery is reduced to reflect the higher risk associated with meeting the individual river conservation limits simultaneously.

2 In the event that draft net fishing takes place in the Common Estuary Killary, the combined total allowable catch of the rivers Erriff and Bundorragha contributing to the fishery is reduced to reflect the higher risk associated with meeting the individual river conservation limits simultaneously.

3 In the event that draft net fishing takes place in the Common Estuary Owenmore, the combined total allowable catch of the Owenmore and Carrowmore contributing to the fishery is reduced to reflect the higher risk associated with meeting the individual river conservation limits simultaneously.