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Trout Fishing Event hosted for Wicklow Youths

An introductory trout fishing event for Wicklow Youths was hosted by Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Dublin Angling Initiative recently at Annamoe Fisheries, Co. Wicklow. The Sean McMorrow Memorial Trout Fishing Day, which was aimed at introducing young people in the area to the pursuit of trout fishing and angling, was attended by 28 participants from Rathdrum National School, Roundwood National School and Rathdrum & Roundwood Scouting Groups.

Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Dublin Angling Initiative aims to promote, develop and improve angling in the Greater Dublin Area through educational fishing courses for young people. This event is one of several being hosted by Inland Fisheries Ireland over the summer months. The Sean McMorrow Memorial Trout Fishing Day was held in memory of Sean McMorrow, a former General Manager of Inland Fisheries Ireland, and this event was kindly supported by his family.

The Annamoe event commenced with a workshop on water quality and invertebrate identification, by Sinead Hurson, Community Water Officer for Dublin and Wicklow with the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office. This fascinating workshop gave participants an insight into how water quality affects fish and communities in general.

Fishing lessons from experienced anglers in the Dublin Angling Initiative and the Vartry Angling Club followed with tutoring given in fishing techniques and safe fish handling. Participants practised fly fishing over an action-packed morning with most of them landing several fish.

The young anglers also enjoyed lunch at the venue, followed by a final hour of fishing and a chance to show off their new-found fishing skills. At the end of the event, the Sean McMorrow Memorial Trophy was presented to Darcy Santos from Rathdrum National School, for his focused effort in landing a fine rainbow trout of over 4lb.

Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “The Sean McMorrow Memorial Trout Fishing Day was a great success and a fitting tribute to our former colleague and friend who recognised the importance of engaging the next generation around the pursuit of angling. The novice anglers showed great skill and ability and we hope that they consider taking up fishing into the future.”

Oisin Cahill, Co-Ordinator of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Dublin Angling Initiative said: “The Dublin Angling Initiative aims to empower young people to enjoy angling and to appreciate the importance of conservation and protection. The combination of theoretical and practical lessons proves to be popular and we are delighted to be hosting a number of educational initiatives and courses over the next few weeks.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Dublin Angling Initiative should contact Oisin Cahill, Dublin Angling Initiative Coordinator at Inland Fisheries Ireland, just email: oisin.cahill@ fisheriesireland.ie

Enquiries are welcome from any groups or individuals interested in the programme and availability will be on a first come, first served basis.

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Ecology Unit

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The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Unit is involved in assessing the ecological health of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. We work with our partners to ensure that the information we collect can be used to improve our knowledge and understanding of Ireland’s aquatic environment.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.