CPR could save fish

ANGLERS are being encouraged to use CPR to save fish stocks across the city.

But they don’t have to worry about giving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to the fish they pull from rivers as this CPR stands for

‘Catch, Photo, Release’

The hashtag #CPRsavesfish has been placed across a number of bridges and high footfall locations across the country by Inland Fisheries Ireland as part of a new campaign to highlight angling and the importance of conservation.

The campaign is encouraging anglers to engage in conservation focused angling using CPR, which is a method of angling where a fish is caught and subsequently returned unharmed back into the water.

This technique is proven to contribute to the maintenance of healthy fish stocks and ensures future generations can continue to enjoy the recreational and economic benefits of the fisheries resource.  

Inland Fisheries Ireland is supporting catch and release across all types of angling including pike, coarse, salmon and trout fishing as well as sea angling.

The method results in positive survival rates for fish when caught using best practise methods. Research carried out by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in 2014 examined the survival of salmon after catch and release fishing in three Irish rivers

?? the Owenmore in Co Mayo, the Mulkear in Co Limerick and the Feale in Co Kerry.

Overall, 92 per cent of the Atlantic salmon recorded after tagging survived post catch and release.

The #CPRsavesfish stencils can be found in urban locations in each River Basin District in Ireland including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Letterkenny and Kilkenny.

The hashtag stencils, which have been power washed with water onto pavements, are completely environmentally friendly and are expected to fade naturally in the coming weeks.

“This awareness campaign aims to put angling on the general public’s radar by playing on the concept of CPR as a lifesaving mechanism and to engage existing anglers around the practise of catch and release fishing,

? said Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland.

“Catch, Photo, Release (CPR) angling ensures the sustainability of our fisheries resource in the long term with most sporting anglers in Ireland already practicing catch and release to some degree, recognising that it ensures the maintenance of healthy fish stocks and the sustainability of the sport in the long term.

“Angling is a pursuit that can be enjoyed at any age or ability and Ireland has a host of top angling destinations right on doorsteps across the country.

“We are encouraging novice anglers to visit www.fishinginireland.info/cprsavesfish to find out more about how they can try fishing in their local area.

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There are currently 273,600 domestic anglers in Ireland with a further 163,000 international visitors who enjoy fishing here.