John Dardis (born 25 July 1945) is an Irish former Progressive Democrats politician who served as a senator from 1989 to 2007.
Dardis served in Seanad Éireann from 1989 until he retired in 2007, being nominated by the Taoiseach in 1989, 1997 and 2002, and elected by the Agricultural Panel in 1992 (this was facilitated by an electoral pact with Democratic Left[3]).
[5] In October 2005, Dardis launched a Progressive Democrats (PD) policy document which advocated a ban on the use of drift nets to catch salmon in Irish waters, and called for "fair and appropriate" compensation for licence-holders.
[7] The PDs' policy contradicted that of the coalition government (with Fianna Fáil) of which they were part, and came days before a report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources recommended similar measures.
The decision was publicly criticised by the junior minister responsible, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, whose Donegal South-West was one of the most-important drift-netting area.
[15] Dardis responded that the government had to act on the scientific advice, and said that "the future of a species that has been central to Irish life has been secured by today's decision".