FISHERIES (IRELAND) BILL. (Hansard, 30 September 1909)

LORD O'HAGAN

My Lords, this Bill is to amend the Fisheries (Ireland) Acts, 1842 to 1901, and it proposes to facilitate the carrying out of the law. As the law stands at present, the expenses of an application for a change of the close season, and all the proceedings consequent thereon, have to be defrayed by the person or persons who make the application. There is a great objection to the enforcement of this section of the previous Act, as it practically precludes the poorer class of fishermen from making any application of the kind. It has also been found difficult to estimate exactly the costs of the applications and the expenses involved. For at least forty years and probably longer, the fishery authorities in Ireland have, however, charged all expenses under this heading to the Parliamentary vote, but in the year 1895 objection was raised in the House of Commons to this practice, and the effect of that objection has been that no change in the close season in any respect has been made since that date, although numerous applications for such alterations have been received. Under the present Bill the Department hope to remove the difficulties that I have referred to by providing for the payment of expenses incurred by them in connection with applications for the purpose I have indicated out of moneys provided by Parliament. This will enable the law to be carried out in this respect on the same lines as it has been carried out in former years. I think your Lordships will agree that this is a measure that deserves considerable support, as it will, I believe, remove a cause of grievance to the poorer fishermen of Ireland, and will enable these alterations to 591 be carried out in a more suitable form. I beg to move.

THE EARL OF MAYO

My Lords, I do not wish to say anything against the Second Reading of this Bill, but I noticed that when the measure was in another place there was a section in the Bill giving power for the catching of salmon for the purpose of spawning, and with the object of using the eggs of the salmon for breeding purposes in proper piscatorial establishments. I can only say there is a feeling amongst certain people in Ireland that this proviso would have been made use of in an improper manner, because this salmon would have been taken in the close season. But I feel myself that it was a very important proviso, and I regret very much that in another place it was taken out. I hope that in the next session, or the following session, such a proviso may be entertained in a Bill of this sort, because I think it was rather straining a point to say that there might be poaching, so to speak, of these salmon when they would be really taken for the improvement of the fishery, and also for scientific purposes. As I said, I do not wish to oppose the Second Reading, because I think the Bill is a most useful one.