The Western Regional Fisheries Board was delighted to welcome several of the sailors from the Volvo Ocean Race to the Galway Salmon Fishery at the Salmon Weir on Thursday the 4th of June. While in port, the sailors do get some free time, in between their busy schedule, and some of them decided to take up the offer of a morning's salmon fishing. The group included crew members from Ericsson 3 and 4, Telefonica Blue and Telefonica Black, and Puma, and were accompanied by a film crew from the Volvo Race.
Richard Mason from Ericcson 3, a New Zealander living in Sweden, had a lot of fishing experience and was keen to try some flyfishing. The others, meanwhile, were more used to spinning rods and stuck with spinning and shrimp fishing. Italian Gabriele Olivo, the media crew member with Telefonica Blue, was a natural with the spinning rod, and even managed to tempt a couple of salmon into having a look at his spinner, with exciting splashes at the top of the water, but unfortunately no fish were caught on the day.
Seamus Hartigan, the fishery manager, and staff Paddy Glynn and Paul Reynolds were on hand to assist and show the crew where to fish, and although the salmon proved elusive the sailors were delighted to have a chance to fish while in Ireland. It also provided a welcome break from the hard work of preparing the boats for the next leg of the race which was to leave on Saturday.
Note to editors: The Galway Fishery is a salmon fishery run by the Western Regional Fisheries Board, and is situated at the Salmon Weir. The fishery is open from February 1 to September 30, and is one of the most prolific salmon fishing beats in Ireland, with a total catch last year of over 1,000 salmon. It attracts visitors from all over Ireland and abroad, and brings a lot of tourist revenue into the city. The Western Regional Fisheries Board is a state agency charged with the protection and management of inland fisheries in the western region, which encompasses all fresh water draining to the sea between Westport and north Clare, and includes the great western lakes of Corrib, Mask and Carra.
