Salmon fishermen and illegal netting
The Minister estimated that about 2,000 drift-netters and 2,500 other netsmen hold licences, but said the figures exclude illegal fishermen and he had no estimate of their number. He said efforts to tackle illegal fishing began last season; Harte joked about whether the Minister had ever offended in his youth.
asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the total number of salmon fishermen estimated to be making a living from (a) drift netting and (b) all other forms of netting.
Comment on this
The information available to my Department does not disclose the number of net fishermen who earn their entire livelihood from salmon fishing. On the basis of the number of licences issued by the boards of conservators approximately 2,000 drift fishermen and 2,500 other netsmen engage in salmon fishing and it is considered that their earnings from this source constitute at least a substantial part of their livelihood.
Comment on this
I would not have that information but I believe there are a number of them. They are the people we must tackle. During the last salmon fishing season we made what was the first effort to tackle them.
