Fishing on the Shannon
The Central Fisheries Board is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Marine and Natural Resources and was established under the Fisheries Act 1980. The principal functions of the CFB include advising the Minister for Communications, the Marine and Natural Resources on policy relating to the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries and sea angling; and coordinating and providing specialist support services to the Regional Fisheries Boards.
The Regional Fisheries Boards are responsible for the conservation, protection, promotion and development of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. They are committed to the development of the resource to its full potential in a sustainable manner and to fully maximise benefits for the local communities. The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board is the fisheries authority for the inland fisheries and sea angling resource of the Shannon Catchment and much of the Mid-West Region.
A state licence is required to fish for salmon and sea trout. It is possible to buy a National licence or a Regional Licence. A National Licence covers all Fishery Board Districts while a Regional Licence covers only the Fishery District in which the licence is purchased, in this case the Shannon Region.
Waterways Ireland is the North/South Implementation Body for the inland navigable waterway systems of Ireland and established under the British-Irish Agreement, 1999. The Statutory remit of Waterways Ireland is to manage, maintain, develop and restore the inland navigable waterways principally for recreational purposes. It seeks to facilitate the consolidation and expansion of the tourism market (both from home and abroad) for the waterways as well as associated holidays and activities, including walking and fishing on the canals. The Shannon-Erne Waterway was reopened in 1994, restoring the navigable link between the Shannon (in Leitrim) and the Erne (in Fermanagh).