Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959.

This Act provides for the management and conservation of marine and freshwater fisheries in Ireland. The Act is organized in XI Parts and Six Schedules. Part 2 Miscellaneous powers of the Minister includes powers: concerning special tidal waters; to hold inquiries into fisheries; to make bye-laws for the government, management, protection and improvement of fisheries; to define mouths of rivers, boundaries between tidal and freshwater portions of rivers, points of mouths of rivers from which distances are to be measured; to make regulations for fishing by holders of special local licences; to grant exemption permits for the purposes of artificial propagation; to grant fish culture; to take on lease fisheries for research purposes. Part 3 concerns creation of Fishery districts and Part 4 establishes board of conservators for each fishery district to fulfil the functions assigned to it by this Act. Part 5 requires every board of conservator to strike a rate on fisheries within its fishery district every year. Part VI concerns licenses and restrictions for fishing salmon, trout and eel, these include: ordinary licenses, special tidal waters licenses, licenses for fishing for trout with rod and line in certain waters. Part VII contains regulations on how to use nets. Part VIII concerns regulations, restrictions and prohibitions for fixed engines, fishing gears and weirs, fishing mill dams and other obstructions to passage of fish.
Part IX provides for restrictions at to times of fishing for salmon, rout, pollen and eels. Part X concerns restrictions on sale and export of salmon and trout. Part XI miscellaneous provisions including protection of: fishing waters from poisoning and pollution; young and breeding fish; and of private fisheries. Part XII concerns transfer to the Minister certain provisions and fisheries, such as operation and disposal of vested fisheries, acquisition of Land by the Minister for purpose of the management, operation and protection of vested fisheries, etc. Part XIII provides for sea fisheries; it identifies Sea Fisheries Protection Officers, establishes restrictions on foreign sea fishing boats entering the exclusive fishery limits of the State and provides for provisions applicable to undersized sea-fish. Part XIV concerns oysters: oyster bed licenses, season of oyster, oyster fishery orders, licenses for fishing for oysters. Part XV molluscs, Part XVI crabs, Part XVII offences, Part XIX legal proceedins, fines forfeitures evidence, inquires.