asked the Minister for Lands if he will take steps to prohibit the use of drift nets of the type which do enormous damage to salmon shoals before they have time to enter rivers and deposit their spawn.

I do not consider that drift nets as traditionally used by salmon fishermen off our coasts damage our salmon fisheries. Should any excessive development of drift netting endanger our salmon stocks, however, I will not hesitate to exercise the powers recently conferred on me by Section 29 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1962, to prohibit, restrict or otherwise control fishing for salmon at sea and the landing of salmon caught at sea.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary affirm that he will not interfere with the traditional rights of the drift fishermen off the Donegal coast?

I stated that in the first sentence of my reply. I said: "I do not consider that drift nets as traditionally used by salmon fishermen off our coasts damage our salmon fisheries."

The Parliamentary Secretary gave an undertaking that no matter what happened, he would not interfere with the traditional rights of the fishermen off the Donegal coast.

I do not propose to take any such powers.

I am grateful to the Parliamentary Secretary.