Salmon stocks in Kilkenny's River Nore are depleting rapidly

A local fishing expert is warning that salmon stocks in the River Nore are depleting rapidly.

Tommy Rowe is with the Kilkenny Anglers Association, and says he has seen a huge drop in activity in recent years.

The association’s membership has halved because there are so few fish left to catch.

Tommy says illegal fishing practices are the main cause of the decline noting “The worst poaching or the worst illegal fishing went on in thirty years, this year, and that’s killing our salmon stocks, they’re very very scarce, if you look at the River Nore at the moment for the winter spawning season we’re lucky to have anything between 500 and 1,000 fish if we have that many where we should have 10,000 in the system”.