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

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

Fishery District

(1)

Waters of the River

(2)

Maximum number of tags that maybe issued in respect of taking wild salmon or sea trout from river.

(3)

Dublin

Dargle

0

Upper Liffey

0

Lower Liffey (downstream of Leixlip Dam)

0

Vartry

0

Wexford

Slaney

0

Avoca

0

Owenavorragh

0

Waterford

Barrow and Pollmounty

0

Nore

0

Suir including Clodiagh, Lingaun, and Waterford Blackwater

0

Colligan

0

Corrock

0

Owenduff

0

Mahon

0

Tay

0

Lismore

Blackwater (Munster) including Glenshelane and Finisk

0

Bride

0

Lickey

0

Tourig

0

Womanagh

0

Cork

Owenacurra

0

Lower Lee

945

Bandon

1,168

Ilen

266

Mealagh

131

Coomhola

0

Upper Lee

0

Glengarriff

99

Argideen

0

Owvane

83

Adrigole

0

Kerry

Roughty

245

Blackwater (Kerry)

94

Sneem

116

Waterville

404

Caragh

867

Laune including Cottoners

3,013

Maine

143

Common Estuary Castlemaine

1

3,034

Behy

0

Emlagh

0

Owenmore

0

Croanshagh (Glanmore River and Lake)

0

Sheen

81

Inny

0

Kealincha

0

Lough Fada

0

Owenshagh

0

Cloonee

0

Finnihy

0

Owenreagh

0

Emlaghmore

0

Carhan

0

Ferta

65

Owenascaul

0

Milltown

0

Feohanagh

0

Lee

0

Limerick

Feale including Galey and Brick

0

Mulkear

0

Maigue

0

Upper Shannon (Above Parteen)

0

Lower Shannon

0

Fergus

0

Deel

0

Owenagarney

0

Doonbeg

0

Skivileen

0

Annageeragh

0

Inagh

0

Aughyvackeen

0

Galway

Corrib

1,162

Aille (Galway)

0

Kilcolgan

0

Clarinbridge

0

Knock

0

Owenboliska (Spiddal)

0

Connemara

Cashla

211

Screebe

0

Ballynahinch

0

Lough Na Furnace

0

Ballinakill

Erriff

0

Bundorragha

189

Common Estuary Killary

2

0

Owenglin (Clifden)

143

Dawros

358

Culfin

270

Carrownisky

0

Bunowen

0

Owenwee (Belclare)

0

Bangor

Srahmore (Burrishoole)

0

Owenduff (Glenamong)

0

Carrowmore Lake

450

Owenmore

209

Common Estuary Owenmore

3

0

Newport (including Lough Beltra)

0

Glenamoy

0

Owengarve River

0

Muingnabo

0

Ballina

Moy

2,553

Easkey

0

Cloonaghmore (Palmerstown)

0

Ballinglen

0

Brusna

0

Leaffony

0

Sligo

Ballysadare

807

Drumcliff

110

Garvogue (Inc. Lough Gill and River Bonet)

0

Grange

0

Ballyshannon

Duff

0

Drowes

1,886

Eany

0

Glen

0

Owenwee (Yellow River)

181

Erne

0

Eske

0

Abbey

0

Ballintra (Murvagh R)

0

Laghy

0

Oily

0

Bungosteen

0

Letterkenny

Owenea/Owentocker

147

Gweebarra

248

Clady

0

Tullaghobegly

0

Crana

0

Gweedore (Crolly River)

112

Ray

0

Lackagh

0

Leannan

0

Bracky

0

Owenamarve

0

Glenna

0

Swilly

0

Isle (Burn)

0

Mill

0

Clonmany

0

Straid

0

Donagh

0

Glenagannon

0

Culoort

0

Drogheda

Boyne

0

Dundalk

Castletown

0

Fane

0

Glyde

0

Dee

0

Flurry

0

”,

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

Fishery District

River

Designated Codes

Bangor

Owenmore

Q4

Bangor

Carrowmore

A13

Ballinakill

Owenglin

H4

Ballinakill

Bundorragha

V11

Letterkenny

Owenea and Owentocker

M4

Kerry

Roughty

T10

”.

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.

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of

10

th 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