- River Moy
The River Moy ("Abhainn na Muaidhe" in Irish) rises in the
Ox Mountains inCounty Sligo in the northwest ofIreland . For the greater part of its length, the Moy flows southwestward, enteringCounty Mayo and passing not far fromSwinford before turning north near the village of Kilmore and heading for the historic town of Ballina, where it empties intoKillala Bay and theAtlantic Ocean . The Moy valley, with its ancient churches andabbey s, is a prominenttourist destination .Fact|date=February 2007The
river was once among the bestsalmon fisheries inEurope ; however, in recent times,drift net fishing off the coast caused a huge decline in salmon numbers. According to central fisheries board statistics, 101,231 returning salmon were taken by drift nets off the west coast of Ireland in 2005. In the same year, 29% (6,675) of all rod caught salmon in Ireland were taken in the Ballina district, as a result of aweir , which keeps salmon trapped in the ridge pool, near the mouth of the river, during the summer. Drift netting for salmon was banned in November 2006. The ban came into force onJanuary 1 ,2007 .Fact|date=February 2007(http://www.stopnow.ie/end.html). However, the bulk of the salmon, which now run in May and June, are still prevented from navigating the main river above Ballina due to the wear, which keeps them trapped in the Ridge pool and newly created beats in the vicinity of the Cathederal in Ballina. As a result, the numbers of mature adult salmon returning to spawn continues to decline.
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