Public confidence
People should be able to see the evidence behind fishery decisions, not simply be asked to trust that everything is fine.
Latest update
1 May 2026 — Website reviewed and updated
This site brings together publicly available information on commercial fishing in Lough Neagh and highlights key gaps in data, transparency, methodology and evidence.
The issue
This is about public evidence, not private trust.
Lough Neagh sits at the centre of a wider public argument about pollution, accountability and how shared natural resources are managed.
Commercial fishing may be lawful. That is not the same as demonstrating that current management is sustainable. When a lough is already under environmental pressure, public confidence depends on clear evidence: what is being recorded, what is being harvested, what rules apply, and how fishery decisions are assessed against stock and environmental evidence.
No public data.
No public confidence.
No public confidence.
This project is not aimed at individual fishermen or working families. It is about transparent, evidence-based management of Lough Neagh.
Current situation
The requested 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset has not been released.
A 2026 Environmental Information Regulations request asked DAERA for Lough Neagh scale-fish catch data for 2021–2025, including trout, pollan, perch, bream, roach and pike. DAERA said some raw data may be held, but that the dataset was undergoing active review, verification and quality-assurance checks. It withheld the information under Regulation 12(4)(d), which can apply to material still in the course of completion, unfinished documents or incomplete data.
DAERA later stated in DAERA/26-110 that the 2021–2025 dataset, including the 2021–2024 figures, remained under review following concerns raised by the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative about data accuracy, and that DAERA was verifying consistency with records maintained by registered fish dealers.
The result: where commercial fishing is authorised under existing controls, the public still lacks a current, verified and clearly explained 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset.
Why it matters
People should not have to guess what is being removed.
Public-interest resource
Lough Neagh is a public-interest natural resource, even though aspects of ownership and fishery rights are legally complex. Decisions about commercial extraction from it should be supported by information that the public can inspect.
Supply chain checks
Restaurants, wholesalers and buyers should be able to ask what current evidence, licensing controls and traceability records support wild-caught Lough Neagh fish entering the supply chain.
Cumulative pressure
Fishery decisions should be understood alongside wider environmental pressures on Lough Neagh, including water quality, algal blooms, phosphorus and nitrates.
What we know
There is enough public material to ask serious questions.
Commercial fishery
UK Parliament material describes commercial fishing in Lough Neagh for eels, trout, pollan, perch, roach and bream, and refers to the role of the Lough Neagh Fishermen's Co-operative Society in managing the fishery. Source.
Rules exist
DAERA's commercial fishery guidance sets out rules including closed seasons, minimum sizes, mesh sizes, gear restrictions and enforcement powers. Source.
Traceability
The Lough Neagh Pollan PDO specification describes commercial harvesting and traceability requirements, including records of weight landed, who landed fish, and onward sale details. Source.
Dataset review
DAERA/26-110 says the 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset, including the 2021–2024 figures, remained under review while DAERA considered concerns about data accuracy and verified consistency with records maintained by registered fish dealers. Source.
Management plans
DAERA publishes Lough Neagh and Lough Erne fishery management-plan material. Any public assessment of commercial harvesting should be read alongside the relevant fishery management plan, stock evidence and controls. Source.
2025 fishing information
DAERA/26-1 concerns information held by the Department in relation to netting and rod-and-line fishing within the Lough Neagh catchment for the 2025 season. It is relevant background to questions about current fishing activity and available records. Source.
Important limitation:
DAERA/26-34 states that dealer-register requirements under Section 120 of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 apply to salmon, trout, eels, pike and pollan. DAERA/25-140 nevertheless includes dealer-return figures for trout, pollan, perch, bream, roach and pike. This site therefore treats the DAERA/25-140 table as a published administrative return, not as proof that every listed species is subject to the same statutory dealer-register requirement.
What is missing?
The basic information needed for public confidence.
The public does not need slogans. It needs the information required to assess risk, sustainability and accountability.
| Information needed | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Verified landings data by species and year | Shows what is being removed from the lough and whether reported pressure is rising or falling. |
| Clear distinction between dealer returns and verified catch data | Shows whether public figures represent purchases, sales-channel records, landings, catch, or another administrative category. |
| Active licences and permits | Shows the scale of authorised commercial fishing. |
| Gear types and fishing methods | Helps assess bycatch risk, selectivity and pressure on vulnerable species. |
| Independent stock assessments | Shows whether fish populations can sustain commercial extraction. |
| Enforcement records | Shows whether rules are being monitored and breaches addressed. |
| Scientific basis for catch limits or management decisions | Shows whether decisions are precautionary and evidence-based. |
| Routine publication process | Shows whether the public can expect timely updates rather than occasional disclosure through information requests. |
Dealer returns and catch data
Three DAERA responses overlap, but they do not answer the same question.
DAERA/25-140 released historic dealer-return figures. DAERA/26-34 withheld the requested 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset while it was being reviewed, verified and quality assured. DAERA/26-110 later confirmed that the 2021–2025 dataset, including 2021–2024, remained under review while DAERA considered accuracy concerns and checked consistency with registered fish-dealer records.
Historic dealer-return records were released.
The 2025 response provided annual dealer-return figures for Lough Neagh from 2012 to 2024. These are records linked to fish dealers and fish entering sale channels. They are useful, but they are not the same thing as a complete scientific stock assessment or a full account of fishing pressure.
The requested 2021–2025 dataset was not released.
The 2026 response said DAERA may hold some raw 2021–2025 data, but that the dataset was still under active review, verification and quality assurance. DAERA withheld the information while it checked the robustness of the data and the underlying collection methodology.
DAERA explained why the overlap remained unresolved.
DAERA/26-110 said the 2021–2025 dataset remained under review following concerns raised by the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative about data accuracy, and that DAERA was verifying consistency with records maintained by registered fish dealers before finalisation.
The overlap question
DAERA has released figures for some years that also sit inside the withheld period.
DAERA/25-140 includes dealer-return figures for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. DAERA/26-34 then requested scale-fish catch data for 2021–2025 and DAERA withheld that dataset while it was being reviewed and verified. DAERA/26-110 later confirmed that the 2021–2024 figures remained within the wider 2021–2025 review.
This does not necessarily mean the released dealer-return figures and the withheld scale-fish dataset are identical. Dealer returns may be a partial record, a raw source, a proxy for landings, a separate administrative dataset, or one part of a wider catch-data process. That relationship has not yet been clearly explained in the public material.
If dealer-return figures for 2021–2024 have already been released, what aspects of the 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset remain under verification, and how does DAERA distinguish dealer returns from verified catch data?
Why this matters:
the public can see that some records exist, but it still cannot see a verified, current and clearly explained 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset. That gap makes it difficult to assess reported landings, fishing pressure, data reliability or the evidence base for continued commercial extraction.
Lough Neagh dealer returns by species, 2012–2024
Annual dealer-return figures from DAERA/25-140, Annex A. Figures are listed in pounds. Totals are shown above each bar.
Interactive: click any coloured section to see what species and year it relates to. You can also click a species name in the legend.
Highest annual total
2023: 1,312,737 lbs
Selected data point
Click a coloured section of the graph.
The detail panel will show the species, year, recorded pounds and share of that year’s dealer-return total.
-
species
-
year
-
dealer-return figure
1,312,737 lbs
highest annual total, in 2023
Roach
largest species component in several recent years
Not stock evidence
dealer returns do not prove sustainability
The graph shows reported dealer returns, not independent stock health. High or low returns may reflect fishing effort, market conditions, reporting practice, stock abundance, environmental conditions, restrictions, or a combination of factors. The absence of figures for 2016 is shown as zero on the graph because the DAERA/25-140 annex records dashes for that year. These figures should not be read on their own as proof of sustainability, overfishing, non-compliance or stock abundance.
Species trends on their own scale
Lower-volume species can disappear in a total-volume chart. This view gives each species its own scale, so changes in trout, bream and pike are not hidden by higher-volume species such as roach and pollan.
These mini-charts compare each species with itself over time. They should not be read as proof of abundance, sustainability, overfishing or non-compliance. Dealer returns can be affected by fishing effort, market demand, reporting practice, restrictions, stock condition and environmental factors.
The transparency problem:
DAERA/25-140 shows historic dealer-return figures. DAERA/26-34 and DAERA/26-110 show that the requested 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset has not yet been released while review and verification work continues. The public-interest question is not just “does data exist?” It is: what exactly is being recorded, how reliable is it, what species are covered, what methodology is used, and when will verified figures be published?
Take action
Ask for a clear timeline.
DAERA says the 2021–2025 scale-fish dataset is still under review, verification and quality assurance. Ask when that work will be completed, when the figures will be published, and whether future catch data will be released routinely.
Copy and paste this email
This email asks DAERA Inland Fisheries to confirm the status of Lough Neagh commercial catch data, the relationship between dealer-return records and catch data, and when verified figures will be published.
You can also make a formal request under the Environmental Information Regulations: DAERA FOI and EIR right to know information sheet.
Received a response?
Please share it at admin@nodatanonets.org.
Please share it at admin@nodatanonets.org.
Keep correspondence respectful and focused on transparency, publication timelines and evidence-based management.
What should happen next?
A fair minimum standard for a public fishery.
Publish the data
Verified commercial landings or catch data should be made public by species and year.
Explain the method
DAERA should explain how the figures are collected, verified and interpreted.
Show the controls
Licence numbers, permits, gear types and enforcement information should be transparent in aggregate form.
Use precaution
Where evidence is weak or incomplete, DAERA should explain how precautionary controls are being applied and whether any species-specific review is required.
Questions worth asking
For buyers, policymakers and anyone relying on wild-caught fish.
Before buying wild Lough Neagh fish
Ask what current stock evidence, licensing controls, traceability records and published data support wild-caught Lough Neagh fish entering the supply chain.
Before defending current practice
Ask when verified catch data will be published, what stock assessments or monitoring support continued fishing, how many commercial licences and permits are active, and what enforcement information is available in aggregate form.
Source library
Read the original material.
This site relies on publicly available documents. Do not rely on screenshots, rumours or paraphrases where original sources are available.
- DAERA/26-34 — Lough Neagh scale-fish catch data, 2021–2025 Publication page for the 2026 EIR response.
- DAERA/26-110 — Scale fish data for Lough Neagh Confirms that the 2021–2025 dataset, including 2021–2024 figures, remained under review while DAERA considered data-accuracy concerns and verified consistency with registered fish-dealer records.
- DAERA/26-1 — Netting and rod-and-line fishing within the Lough Neagh catchment, 2025 season Related DAERA response concerning information held about netting and rod-and-line fishing within the Lough Neagh catchment for the 2025 season.
- DAERA/25-140 — Commercial netting figures and dealer-return data Publication page for dealer-return data.
- DAERA — Lough Neagh and Lough Erne Management Plans DAERA page linking to fishery management plans, including the Lough Neagh Fishery Management Plan.
- UK Parliament written evidence on Northern Ireland fisheries Includes context on inland commercial fisheries.
- DAERA commercial fishery legislation handout for Lough Neagh Publication page for commercial fishery guidance.
- Lough Neagh Pollan PDO specification Protected food name specification and traceability information.
- DAERA — Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan Context on wider environmental pressures affecting Lough Neagh, including nutrients, algal blooms and water-quality issues.
- DAERA — Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment Includes information on freshwater monitoring and evidence work relevant to Lough Neagh.
- DAERA — Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard FAQ Explains DAERA’s Lough Neagh water-quality monitoring dashboard and environmental data context.
- Environmental Justice Network Ireland briefing on Lough Neagh ownership Background briefing on the legally complex ownership and rights context around Lough Neagh.
- DAERA FOI and EIR right to know information sheet How to request information under Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations.
- DAERA Inland Fisheries contact details Lists Inland Fisheries contacts, including Portadown licensing and commercial fishing permit contacts.