24/06/2026
⚠️ MOY FISHERY CLOSURE — AGAIN ⚠️
As many of you will have heard, the IFI local office in Ballina has once again closed the Moy Fishery — effective this morning — citing their so-called "warm water protocol."
Two temperature readings over 20°C. That's it. That's the justification.
What they're not telling you is that the river is NOT at a low level, and water oxygen levels are currently high. The conditions that genuinely threaten fish welfare simply do not exist on the Moy right now. This closure is not supported by the science on the ground.
This "protocol" appears to be entirely self-invented — with no transparent criteria, no independent verification, and no meaningful consultation with local stakeholders who know this river better than anyone.
The damage this does to our town, businesses, guides, and accommodation providers, and visiting anglers who have travelled from across Ireland and beyond is very real. Cancellations, lost bookings, livelihoods affected — all based on a single metric applied with no common sense. This comes on the back of the debacle of the 2026 salmon regulations and the damage that this had already done.
We are calling on IFI to immediately review this decision, publish the full data behind it, and engage properly with the local angling community before closing one of Ireland's most important fisheries on a whim.
If you share our concerns, please comment, share this post, and contact IFI directly. The Moy Fishery deserves better management than this.
Please note that all the other non-state owned fisheries remain open.
🎣 Ballina Angling Centre
