The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme regulates salmon and sea trout fishing in Ireland and is administered by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).  Anglers are legally required to be in possession of a rod licence when fishing for salmon or sea trout. Licences can be purchased from a number of sources, including fishing tackle shops, IFI offices and some fisheries.  

The sale of rod licences for recreational salmon and sea trout angling contributes directly to the Salmon Conservation Fund initiated and managed by IFI since 2007.  The Salmon Conservation Fund component consists of an additional fee, the equivalent to the cost of the licence, added to all classes of licence to provide funds for a conservation programme.  The revenue generated from the Salmon Conservation Fund is reinvested to promote the recovery of our salmon stocks and habitats taking into account project feasibility, funding availability and value for money considerations. It has has an inflow of about €500,000 per annum, and at the end of 2021, there was over €3.5 million within the fund (IFI Annual Report, 2021).  Since 2019 the remit of the Salmon Conservation Fund has been expanded to include conservation work on sea trout fisheries and has been renamed as the ‘Salmon and Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation and Protection Fund’.

More information on the salmon and sea trout rod licences, and the socio-economic of recreational angling in Ireland can be found here:

http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Angling-Information/angling-information.html

Salmon Conservation Fund:

http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Salmon-Management/salmon-conservation-fund.html

Inland Fisheries Ireland Annual Reports:

http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Corporate/corporate-publications.html