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A Heron in the Tolka river in Dublin today where Salmon have returned to the once heavily polluted area. Niall Carson/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Wild Atlantic salmon return to the Tolka River after 100 years

The return of the “King of Fish”, which only reproduces in clean water, to Dublin’s Tolka shows that efforts to reduce pollution in the waterway has been successful.

WILD ATLANTIC SALMON have begun to reproduce once more in Dublin’s Tolka River after disappearing from the waters for at least a century.

Young Wild Atlantic salmon can only live in clean water, so the return of the fish shows that efforts to reduce pollution in the largely urbanised river have been successful. It also means that Dublin now has three waterways that are home to a wild salmon population.

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said today: “Up to the year 2000 Dublin and Reykjavik were the only two capital cities in Europe which had a wild Atlantic salmon stock in a river within city boundaries.

“Now Dublin can boast about having three salmon rivers within its boundaries – the Liffey, Dodder and now the Tolka. In environmental terms this is an important step forward”.

Inland Fisheries Ireland said that the return of spawning salmon to the Tolka were due to coordinated efforts by the Office of Public Works and Dublin, Meath and Fingal County Councils, which oversaw the modification of a significant number of man-made weirs to “open up” the system to migratory fish.

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    Mute Mac Muinteoir
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    Nov 12th 2021, 5:34 PM

    The day is coming when Ireland joins countries like Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, South Africa, and 18 US states in legalising cannabis for recreational use, simply because it is becoming ever more obvious that prohibition is a failed and harmful model.

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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Nov 12th 2021, 6:47 PM

    @Mac Muinteoir: Hopefully so Mac, I wish it would happen sooner.

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    Mute Supes Kz
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    Nov 12th 2021, 9:45 PM

    @Mac Muinteoir: It’s now decriminalised for recreational use in the Spain (EU) with some qualifications.
    Spain allows its citizens to purchase cultivation equipment and allows the cultivation of a limited number of plants for personal use.

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    Mute Daniel Curtin
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    Nov 13th 2021, 9:58 AM

    @Mac Muinteoir: looks like Germany will be making it fully legal for recreational use soon, which will be a big game changer for Europe

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    Mute Mary Ryan
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    Nov 12th 2021, 4:41 PM

    Would love a cup of herbal tea right now….

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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Nov 12th 2021, 4:51 PM

    @Mary Ryan: “Green” tea it makes you feel ecstatic :-)

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Nov 12th 2021, 8:32 PM

    If they caught nearly 8kg you can be SURE they missed 800kg recently. Boring.

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    Mute Dean Stown
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    Nov 12th 2021, 8:03 PM

    Destined for people in high places!

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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    Nov 13th 2021, 11:43 AM

    Was it Barry’s tea or was he just holding it for a friend. I don’t believe they found the loyns share of it yet.

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