Two men have been fined for the illegal netting of salmon in the Barrow and Nore rivers last year, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).
Richie Lennon, with an address of 18 Priory Court, New Ross, Co. Wexford, was fined €300 together with a €500 contribution towards costs at Kilkenny District Court on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, following a prosecution taken by IFI.
Lennon pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal netting, the possession/control of four salmon and the refusal to give the name and address of another person when lawfully demanded.
Inland fisheries officers told the court that Lennon had been observed in the act of illegal netting on the River Barrow, attempting to capture salmon.
Evidence in relation to the offence was given before Judge Carthy, sitting at Kilkenny District Court. Following the conviction, details of a previous prosecution against Lennon which had been dealt with at Wexford District Court on 15th April 2014 when the Probation Act had been applied was identified.
Judge Carthy made it clear to Lennon that if he appears in court again on similar offences that she will consider a prison sentence.
Hynes pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal netting, the possession of seven salmon and the refusal to give the name and address of another person when lawfully demanded.
The breaches of fisheries legislation occurred on June 22, 2020, on the River Nore, in the townland of Clonamery, Co. Kilkenny.
Evidence in relation to the offence was given before Judge Carthy, sitting at Kilkenny District Court. IFI officers told the court that Hynes was apprehended and found to be in possession of seven dead salmon in his vehicle.
Lynda Connor, director of the South Eastern River Basin District at Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “I would like to commend the fisheries officers’ efforts and continuous commitment to protecting salmon.
On the River Barrow and the River Nore salmon stocks are well below their conservation limit and require protection. This type of illegal activity can have devastating effects on future stocks of salmon.
“These two convictions highlight the ongoing issue of illegal netting for salmon and IFI’s zero tolerance of this serious misconduct.”