FISSTA

Author: Leslie Long

  • Farmed Salmon Exposed – the global reach of the Norwegian salmon farming industry

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  • Flight Of The Earls Salmon Commemorated By Irish Anglers

    The Wild Atlantic Salmon as the king of fish always held a very special place in Irish history and a very special event relating to the Flight of the Earls was marked recently.

    It is the 400th anniversary of an historic event which was commemorated by Ireland??????s Premier Angling body?????- FISSTA (Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers) at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin where a specialexhibition titled ??????Strangers to Citizens ?????? the Irish in Europe 1600 -1800.????????????????????? ?????The Belgian Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Mr. Leopold Carrewyn attended the commemoration and was presented by National Secretary Noel Carr and founding member Richard Behal with a Loates painting of a returning wild salmon to commemorate the salmon of Louvain being caught by a soldier from the Earl of Tyrconnell party as they traveled Europe in what has become known as the Flight of the Earls. ?????In an extract from the Flight of the Earls chronicler Tadhg O?????? Cianain who wrote this account in the Irish Franciscan College in Louven Belguim in 1608, it is recorded that the salmon was seen in the Louvain river by a Donegal soldier, as he was on his way to deliver a message to the Earl of Tyrone??????s palace near the Franciscan College.?????????? Having caught the salmon, he presented it to Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O?????? Neill who thankfully displayed it to all the nobles of the Louvain city who were surprised at the size and where he was caught as no salmon had ever been caught there before or since. ?????The Secretary of FISSTA Noel Carr stated that ??????The story is certainly a most historic one in that great hope sprung from the catching of this salmon as it was seen at that time as an inspiring sign from Ireland.????? FISSTA now take this same hope in their overall objective to encourage participation in the sport of salmon angling and to encourage????? Belgium and other mainland EU continues to improve the clean water and fish stocks in the once great salmon rivers such as the Meuse and Rhine. Our campaign to end the commercial netting for salmon will continue to bring positive results, and the Federation now believe that the time is right for a more positive image to be promoted for angling tourism and leisure breaks on our waterways. We hope the commemoration of this event will promote the ancient sport of angling for those exploring new outdoor holiday pursuits.

  • Ireland – scientific research helps to confirm fish farm environmental damage

    First Global Study Finds Fish Farms Detrimental to Wild Salmon Populations”

    FISSTA has welcomed the latest scientific report confirming once again the detrimental fallout to our wild salmon and marine environment, not just in Ireland but globally.

    “These findings come at an opportune time when Governmental policies are being reviewed by a governmental committee from departments of Natural Resources and Fisheries and we certainly hope the eradication of sealice and pollution will be made a priority for the first time in Ireland by this new administration” said Noel Carr, National Secretary of the Federation of Irish Salmon and Seatrout Anglers.

    Wild salmon populations generally decline in rivers where fish farms exist, according to the first global assessment of how aquaculture impacts on wild salmon. The study found that in rivers where juveniles passed by fish farms during migration, the number of wild salmon surviving and returning to spawn decreased by 50 percent or greater, on average, when compared to similar rivers with no fish farms.

    The study, funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program, was published today in the online journal PLoS Biology, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal produced by the Public Library of Science. “This report is the first global assessment of the impacts of fish farms on wild salmon populations, and the results are startling,” said Jennifer Ford, lead author of the study. “The findings from our analyses varied in different regions, but by combining them, we see that there is a negative impact on wild salmon that is highly significant.”

    Press release in full here.

    More details including a summary report on the paper with details from Canada, Ireland and Scotland here.

    A scientific paper – “A Global Assessment of Salmon Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmonids” – published today by the Public Library of Science (Biology) is being picked up now via several media outlets including Canadian Press (see below).

    View the paper – “A Global Assessment of Salmon Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmonids“