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20 Nov 2025

Mayo TD issues warning around closure of Cong Hatchery

Deputy Paul Lawless said “Closure of Cong Hatchery is now extremely time sensitive” urging minister to visit before decision becomes irreversible

Mayo TD issues warning around closure of Cong Hatchery

Minister Lawless has urged the Minister of State to visit Cong immediately.

Reporter:

Ronan O'Donnell

20 Nov 2025 8:00 PM

Email:

ronan.odonnell@iconicnews.ie

Following his call for Government intervention, Aontú TD Paul Lawless has issued a renewed and urgent appeal to the Minister of State to visit the Cong Salmon Hatchery immediately, warning that the decision by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to close the facility is now extremely time-sensitive and risks becoming irreversible if action is not taken in the coming weeks.
Deputy Lawless stated: “For more than 60 years, the Cong Hatchery has protected the Corrib’s salmon population, supported angling tourism, and driven the local economy in Cong, Ballinrobe, and south Mayo. It is impossible to overstate how central this infrastructure is to the region. Its closure would cause enormous ecological and economic harm.”

Lawless stressed that the hatchery continues to deliver high conservation value, especially as wild salmon stocks across Ireland face a 90% collapse since the 1970s.
The Knock native continued: “At a time when salmon stocks are under unprecedented pressure from pollution, habitat loss, and environmental decline, removing the State’s last remaining smolt hatchery is reckless in the extreme. The timeline here is deeply concerning, decisions are being made behind closed doors, without consultation with the community, without analysis of the ecological consequences, and without understanding the impact on tourism. If this closure proceeds, reversing it will cost the State millions and could take years.”

The Deputy concluded: “I am again urging the Minister to come to Cong, visit the facility, meet those who rely on it, and see the value of this hatchery with his own eyes. Before this decision is finalised, the Minister must intervene. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I am requesting that the Minister pause the closure, commission an independent review, and engage directly with the local community and scientific experts.”

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