Anglers urged to make catch returns

Whenever anyone buys a rod licence to fish for salmon and sea trout in Foyle and Carlingford, they are legally obliged to let Loughs Agency know if they have caught fish and how many times they went fishing. This information can now be easily recorded through the elicence website.

John McCartney, Director of Conservation and Protection said: “This is really important information because it enables our scientists to understand how many fish are caught, taken or returned back to the river and how much time anglers put into catching those fish. It provides an indication of how well stocks are doing and if we need to take any action should catches take a turn for the worst.”

Freshwater Fishery Biologist, Mark McCauley advised: “Loughs Agency use anglers logs returns to manage the fisheries of Foyle and Carlingford. We use the data to screen proposed developments such as roads, hydro, etc that may impact the interests of the fishery. We can also use the data anglers provide to assess the strength of fish runs in the system this year and also for long term trend monitoring.”

Have you purchased a Loughs Agency licence this year? Log in with your Angler Number at https://elicence.loughs-agency.org and update your angling log for the 2019 season.

The Loughs Agency aims to provide sustainable social, economic and environmental benefits through the effective conservation, protection, management, promotion and development of the resources of the Foyle and Carlingford Areas.