Fishery

FISHERY

Development Plan

The Trim/ Athboy District Angling Association over the past number of years have seen a gradual decline in fish stocks in the area. We as a club are committed to putting the Boyne system back to where it belongs as one of the premier fisheries in this country. We believe that a co-ordinated approach to tackle the following physical aspects of the system will allow us to achieve our aims:

  1. Habitat Enhancement
  2. Protection of juvenile stocks.
  3. Protection of adult stocks.

Habitat Enhancement


 The Boyne system has some of the finest salmonid fishing in the country, but has over the last 30 years or so deteriorated to an extent where some of our streams cannot sustain salmomid life in sufficient numbers to sustain this great fishery.

We have identified a number of streams which we believe need extensive remedial action. The problems affecting these areas are complex and range from overgrazing to drainage and insufficient light which makes most of these streams unable to sustain optimum salmonid life.

We would envisage that the streams entering the main river would be tackled first as these streams supply much of our spawning grounds. We believe that ongoing maintenance is the key to guarantee the wellbeing of the system into the future.

Protection of Juvenile stocks


 We as a group are committed to ensuring that our juvenile fish are living in a safe environment and to his end we would envisage that the following be an integral part of our strategy:

  • Catch and release on all tributaries.
  • Regular predator control e.g. mink, (subject to legislation in place).
  • Pollution Monitoring. All streams will be monitored during spawning to ensure a safe and healthy environment for adult and juveniles alike.
  • Regular cleaning of streams.

Protection of Adult Stocks


 We as a club are committed to protect and safeguard the wellbeing of our salmonid adult stocks. To this end we have formulated the following plans to safeguard our stocks:

  • Instream Development to protect adult fish. We will endeavour to put in place a plan to combat illegal fishing in our rivers and lakes. We have identified the areas, which we believe are vulnerable. These measures are inexpensive but will save substantial stocks to the benefit of the entire system.
  • Regular Patrols to safeguard stocks throughout the year.
  • More co-ordination and communication with Fisheries Board Staff in area.
  • By-laws to protect over exploitation of stocks.