147. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if, having regard to the proposal for a salmon harvest moratorium contained in Inland Fisheries Ireland's Position Paper on Salmon (October 2025 IFI Board meeting report) and his statement on 6 February 2026 that Inland Fisheries Ireland had been asked to examine options for salmon conservation up to and including a harvest moratorium; if he is considering the introduction of a moratorium on the harvesting of wild Atlantic salmon for the 2027 season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49243/26]

The continuing decline of wild Atlantic salmon stocks is of great concern to me. In their 2026 Catch Advice, the independent Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS) reported that the number of wild salmon returning to Ireland has progressively declined from well over 1 million for much of the 1970s to under 200,000 in recent years. The long-term decline in stocks is also evident in catch statistics published by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), with current catches at less than half the levels seen in the 2000s.

In February, I wrote to the Board of IFI seeking their views on the operation of the current salmon management framework and asked them to consider what options may be available to address the ongoing decline in our salmon stocks, up to and including a potential moratorium on the harvesting of salmon.

I expect to receive this report from IFI shortly. No decision has been made yet on the conservation measures that will apply for the 2027 or beyond.