The solution to Fermoy’s weir renovation controversy will require ‘give and take’, fly-fishing champion and Blackwater Angling Guide, Glenda Powell has said.
Ms Powell, the chairperson of the AGPAI, a national organisation for fly-casting instructors, lives near Lismore and fishes and guides on beats both above and below Fermoy town.
She said the derelict weir “has an impact on all of us who fish the river, both above and below the weir, because it affects all migratory species including Salmon and Lamprey.”
However, Ms Powell, whose own children Anna (17), and Ian (16), are both keen rowers with Cappoquin Rowing Club, said that while most Salmon Anglers would prefer the weir to be removed, she understood the importance of water levels to Fermoy Rowing Club and would prefer to see the needs of all accommodated.
“It’s been very controversial, but the weir is required for the club,” she said. “If that can be accommodated, then we need to make sure it doesn’t hinder the fish passing upstream as well.”
In the meantime, another section of the crumbling bank alongside the weir in Fermoy town has collapsed and been washed away, as a picture provided by photographer John O’Connell shows.
