Following the introduction of ‘brown tag’ regulations to boost conservation efforts in Kerry’s Waterville catchment, anglers of wild salmon on the Lower River Lee in Cork are advised that similar rules will come into force from Tuesday 1 February.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, under brown tag regulations an angler who wishes to ‘harvest’ a wild salmon and keep it must attach a brown tag as well as a standard blue tag to the fish.
To help conserve stocks of wild salmon within the Lower River Lee, No 5 or Cork District, a total of 152 brown tags will be available for the season and will be distributed to anglers with a 2022 rod licence through a series of online lotteries.
Up to a quarter of the available number of brown tags can be issued at one time, under the Wild Salmon and Seatrout Tagging Scheme Regulations. Therefore, 38 brown tags will be selected through the first online lottery on Monday 31 January.
Any anglers that are interested in entering the first draw are being asked to email their request to Inland Fisheries Ireland at [email protected] between now and next Friday 28 January only.
Within this email, anglers must provide their name, contact address and telephone number and they must also quote their 2022 Salmon Licence number. Only one entry is permitted per licence holder into the draw.
Anglers with a 2022 rod licence who are not allocated a brown tag are only permitted to fish for salmon on a ‘catch and release’ basis on the Lower River Lee, where the salmon is returned safely to the same waterbody.
Further details are available from the Inland Fisheries Ireland’s website or by phoning its Macroom office on (026) 41221.
The brown tag regulations come into force on the Lower River Lee in Cork from 1 February and will remain in place until midnight on 30 September 2022.
