Salmon fishing has been banned on the River Boyne due to falling fish stocks, marking the first time such a closure has been introduced on the historic waterway.
Anglers have been informed that they will no longer be permitted to catch salmon on the river, which is famously linked in Irish legend to the story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Salmon of Knowledge.
The Boyne has long been recognised internationally as a prime salmon fishery and has attracted anglers from across the world to the northeast each year in search of Atlantic salmon.
The decision was confirmed by Minister for the Marine Timmy Dooley after he was questioned on the issue by East Meath Sinn Féin TD Darren O’Rourke.
In recent years anglers on the Boyne had been allowed to catch salmon under a catch and release system as a conservation measure due to concerns about declining stocks.
However the full closure follows an assessment by TEGOS, the Technical Expert Group on Salmon, which examined 144 salmon rivers across the country.
Minister Dooley said catch and release is proposed where adult forecast returns are at or close to conservation limits.
Closure is only proposed where the assessment indicates a high probability that stocks will fail to meet their conservation limits even without fishing.
He stated: “The TEGOS report indicates that the Boyne salmon stock is meeting only 10pc of its conservation limit and the scientific advice for 2026 reflected in the proposed Regulation, is that the river is closed to fishing.
I recognise that the closure of the salmon fishery on the River Boyne is disappointing for anglers and local communities especially given the Boyne’s cultural and economic importance as a salmon river.
I have been informed by the Inland Fisheries Ireland that their staff will continue to exercise vigilance in patrolling the River Boyne for poaching and environmental issues in 2026.
Deputy O’Rourke said there is serious concern in the Boyne Valley that salmon fishing is being banned on the river.
He warned that fewer anglers on the river could make it harder to spot illegal fishing activity and called for increased fishery protection patrols.
For decades the Boyne has been a popular destination for salmon anglers from Ireland and abroad.
Some local anglers have blamed foreign fishing factory vessels operating in the North Atlantic for reducing salmon stocks returning to Irish rivers.
