§ MR. FETHERSTONHAUGH (Fermanagh, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Royal Irish Constabulary have taken any steps, since the Report of the Fishery Commission presided over by Lord Chancellor Walker, to enforce the fishery laws in the Lough Erne District; whether they have instituted any, and, if so, how many prosecutions for illegal fishing and destruction of spawning fish in Lough Erne and its tributaries, and, if any, how many convictions, resulted from their prosecutions; has it been left to the Conservators of Fisheries to preserve Lough Erne, which is vested in the Crown; and is any contribution on behalf of the Crown paid to the Conservators' funds.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) I am informed that since the year 1901 the police have reported to the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction 17 cases of offences against the fishery laws in the Ballyshannon Fishery District, in which Lough Erne is situated. Prosecutions were instituted in all the cases, and fines were imposed in 13 of them. The duty of protecting the fisheries of Lough Erne rests primarily with the Board of Conservators, but the Commissioner of Woods informs me that he is willing to consider any practical suggestion as to how he can co-operate with the Conservators. No contribution is paid on behalf of the Crown to the funds of the Conservators.