Staff at the State’s agency for managing and protecting inland fisheries received about €41,000 in “bounties” from a State research body for collecting salmon tags, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said.

In a note on the annual report of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) for 2024, which was laid before the Oireachtas this week, the comptroller said the Marine Institute had for many years operated a bounty scheme, which was open to the public, for tags returned under a salmon tracking programme.

“Certain IFI staff participated in the scheme in some locations and the Marine Institute made bounty payments totalling €41,500 in respect of this participation,” the comptroller’s note said.

“Bounty payments received in the period 2010 to 2014, totalling €13,500, were lodged to bank accounts within the ownership of IFI and were recognised as income in the financial statements for this period.

“From 2010 to 2023, further bounty payments totalling €28,000 were made to individual staff members and into bank accounts not in the ownership of IFI.”

IFI said in its report that there was no wrongdoing on the part of staff.

The report said the agency carried out an investigation in 2023 on the foot of a protected disclosure into matters relating to a salmon research programme operated “by another State agency” which it does not identify.

The comptroller’s note said it was the Marine Institute.

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“The [research] programme was established in 1979 and ran from 1980 until 2023. The programme involved the tagging of smolts (young salmon) who would then be released to go to sea with the expectation that a percentage of them would return as adults.

“On return, the tags could be harvested from the adult salmon and a finder’s fee was payable to anyone finding a tag and returning it to the State agency.

“This was open to all members of the public. In the course of the IFI carrying out its work, adult salmon were routinely trapped at its facilities which meant that staff could facilitate the return of tags.”

IFI said it had no agreement or operating procedures with the State agency concerning the operation of the programme.

“IFI receipted €13,470.95 for the programme. A further €40 in out of date uncashed cheques were also found.”

IFI said it did ascertain that certain staff members collected tags from its facilities and from anglers, and returned the tags to the (other) Stage agency on their own behalf and on behalf of anglers.

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“The funds were paid directly to the staff members as individuals. The anglers were reimbursed by the staff. IFI has not been able to determine the breakdown between angler and other tag payments. Staff members stated that they did not personally retain these payments.

“The investigation examined information provided by the State agency related to payments the agency made to individuals and private accounts during the period 2010 to 2023. IFI had no record of these payments, was not party to related bank accounts and does not know the ownership of same.

“The (other) State agency declined to provide further information to IFI for GDPR reasons. The amount of the funds under question is €28,254 for the 14-year period.”

IFI said its investigation found that the details of the protected disclosure were substantiated, in that IFI staff were in receipt of payments for the return of tags.

“However, given the lack of any agreement between IFI and the State agency or any internal IFI process or procedure regarding the operation of the programme, as well as a lack of supporting evidence, IFI did not find that an employee was not permitted to collect a fee for tags recovered or that there has been any wrongdoing by staff involved.”