WRITTEN QUESTION E-0478/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(21 February 2001)

Subject: Freshwater fishing in Ireland: restoration of a natural balance instead of a continuation of the extermination policy

1. Does the Commission recall the letter dated 15 September 1997 (ref. SG(97)D/84642) from its then President, Mr Jacques Santer, to Mrs Caroline Jackson, MEP, in which he pledged that, where necessary, the element in the programme aimed at stock control (i.e. pike culling) would be reformed and that a new project manager would be appointed for the Corrib System Development Programme? Have those commitments been honoured yet? If not, why not?

2. Can the Commission confirm that a further culling of pike took place between the autumn of 1998 and April 1999, and subsequently in the spring of 2000, when any pike discovered were killed?

3. Can it also confirm that, each year, six of the seven Regional Fishery Boards in Ireland are still carrying out a policy of pike culling during the pike spawning season and that such culling took place, inter alia, in December 2000 in Lough Arrow, which comes under the responsibility of the North Western Regional Fisheries Board (NWRFB)? Does such ongoing extermination of pike take place as part of a programme that is financially supported in any way whatsoever by the European Union?

4. Does the Commission see any possibility of terminating this merry-go-round of implementation, suspension and renewal of extermination programmes, which has been going on for years now, by ensuring that it no longer forms part of the fisheries policy? Is the Commission prepared to make the granting of any further financial aid conditional upon pike culling being prohibited or, at best, permitted on the basis of strict authorisation which would be granted only in exceptional cases?

5. What does the Commission intend to do to ensure that, after long years of neglect, the lakes in western Ireland finally receive the treatment they require to restore them to health, treatment which will result in the attainment of the original aid objectives such as a reduction in pollution, the promotion of tourism and the management of the natural fish stocks?

6. Is the Commission prepared to offer Ireland further aid for a new programme which does not interfere with the ratios of the various species of fish found in the lakes and rivers but which actually contributes to the restoration of a natural balance and to the promotion of tourism?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2001)

1. According to the information received from the Western Regional Fisheries Board (WRFB), the development programme referred to in the letter of September 1997 was completed successfully in 1999 and all development targets met. It has been extremely successful in enhancing the wild brown trout stocks. The project was managed in a professional manner by the Board concerned and has been audited by international experts in this particular field. The auditor's report indicated that the programme had been completed to an extremely high standard. Subsequent scientific monitoring of developed streams confirms the success of the programme in flora, fauna, fish stock and avian terms.

2. As indicated by the WRFB, it is the policy of the Fisheries Boards to manage the introduced pike stocks in the waters specifically designated as salmonid waters and to ensure that these are specifically managed to optimise trout stocks. This is an on-going annual programme. Removed pike are also transferred to other pike waters in the region, of which there are 40 lakes.

3. As per the information provided by the WRFB, the great western lakes were always managed as wild brown trout fisheries and to that end stock management is part of the overall programme for ensuring that trout stocks are optimised. When pike are removed some are tagged and transferred to other waters.

According to the North Western Regional Fisheries Board (NWRFB), pike control operations on trout lakes are carried out on an annual basis, mainly during the pike spawning season. As regards the culling of pike on Lough Arrow in December 2000, no gill nets were used during that period. However, an experiment with new electro-fishing equipment took place on 21 December 2000, in the course of which just two pike were captured and removed from the lake. This hardly represented extermination of pike and was not co-financed by Community funds.

4. As maintainted by the WRFB, the preservation of the West of Ireland wild brown trout is vital. The three western lakes mentioned above are the most important wild brown trout lakes remaining in Europe. To allow these lakes to deteriorate to lakes predominated by coarse fish species including pike would be a disaster and a destruction of the natural heritage. There are thousands of lakes in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe predominated by coarse fish species, including pike, and extremely few wild brown trout limestone lakes of consequence. All the top scientific evidence indicates that the strategy being adopted is both correct and necessary. To allow these lakes to change would be to deny Europe one of the last remaining strongholds of wild brown trout in the interests of those wishing to expand the realms of the introduced species. The policy of stock management is unique to Ireland as the country holds the last remaining stronghold of the species and is supported by hundreds of man-years of scientific expertise and research.

There are over 500 quality pike fisheries in Ireland which are managed by the seven Regional Fisheries Boards. No pike are removed from any of these 500 waters. In fact the Fisheries Boards have successfully sought the introduction of a by-law to protect the pike stocks in all of these waters. i.e. anglers' catches are strictly limited. Pike control is only exercised on 10 lake wild brown trout fisheries and a small number of brown trout/salmon rivers in the entire country.

As stated by the NWRFB, there is no merry-go-round of implementation, suspension and renewal of extermination programmes. Since it took over responsibility for management of the major trout lakes in 1985, the Board has had a consistent policy of controlling of pike stocks and such a policy has never been suspended. Pike control is a crucially important element of management of trout fisheries and it would be a serious error if further Community aid for fisheries development were to be made conditional on pike culling being prohibited. Indeed, there would be no basis whatsoever for such a condition being imposed.

5. According to the information provided by the WRFB, the developments commenced in 1996 have started a major revival in wild brown trout in the great western lakes. The resultant improvement in fish stocks has endorsed the management and scientific methods used to achieve these goals. The Fisheries Boards also welcome the Water Framework Directive, Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy(1) and the additional efforts that will be made to ensure the preservation of these lakes in their pristine condition. In addition the promotion of these lakes as wild brown trout fisheries of international importance second to none in Europe has already borne very significant results. The continuation of the programme would further enhance the lakes their rivers and streams and the wild brown trout.

As per the NWRFB, any Community action is supported to ensure water quality is restored on the major lakes, virtually all of which have shown significant signs of euthrophication over the past ten years or more. As stated above, the primary responsibility in this regard rests with the various local authorities and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

6. As indicated by the WRFB, the fish species in the lakes include a number of introduced species (pike, perch and roach). It has been clearly demonstrated that management of non-native fish species will require the necessary promotion of native species in order to ensure that these lakes remain predominately salmonid lakes. The restoration of the lakes and all related habitat should rely on the best scientific advice available and it has been the objective of the Boards in question to ensure that any works undertaken are in the light of the best scientific evidence. Any future funds made available will of course be for the works supported by sound scientific advice.

According to the NWRFB, the situation is that pike are not a native species and were introduced to Ireland from abroad. They are not, therefore, part of a natural balance in the lakes. As they prey heavily on trout, it is essential to control their numbers in order to maintain a healthy stock of trout, a native species which have been present in the lakes for more than ten thousand years.

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.