BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN WEBSITE LAUNCHED

A website [http://www.wildfish.ie/] has been established to support a boycott of farmed smoked salmon this Christmas to draw attention to the proposed expansion of salmon farms along the Irish coast.

Minister Simon Coveney has directed his Agency BIM to apply to himself for a licensce to operate a super sized salmon farm in Galway Bay that will alone double Ireland's production of farmed salmon. 

The Boycott campaign originated at a national meeting of groups and individuals opposing open net salmon farms in Bantry last month addressed by international anti-salmon farm campaigners and is supported by angling and environmental groups.

The campaign website provides stickers for supporters to use to spread the message. Supporters can download a template for standard labels address sheets which local printers and office suppliers have in stock. Using the provided art work on the template, single A4 colour printed sheets cost less then a euro and provide 18 stickers.

Almost 2,000 stickers were given out at the recent protest at Simon Coveney's office to protesters from all over the country. With the media refusing to cover the boycott, the campaign has been condemned by all sides of the industry, ironically providing the only public mention to date.

Visit the website   |  Listen to Tony Lowes of FIE debate with Donal MacGuire on 'Morning Ireland'

MEGA FISH FARM CONTRARY TO MORATORIUM IN NDP

FIE has written to the European Commission and to Irish Ministers demonstrating that the proposed Galway Bay mega fish farm is contrary to an agreement for a moratorium in salmon farm development reached under the National Development Plan 2007 - 2013 [NDP].

The Irish Seafood National Program 2007 - 2013 published under the National Development Plan in July 2010 acknowledges Central and Regional Fisheries Boards concerns which were supported by the Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) about the negative impact that sea lice emanating from salmon farms are having on migratory wild salmonids.

'To address these concerns [the negative impact of sea lice], it has been decided that no financial assistance will be given to marine salmon aquaculture licence holders during the course of this National Programme until such time as the sea lice issue has been satisfactorily resolved.'

In spite of this, only just over a year later in December 2011 the Minister for Agriculture specifically provided an increase in the grant-in-aid for BIM 'in view of the added responsibility which it will have in relation to the deep sea aquaculture'. The Minister has assigned BIM the task of obtaining the necessary licenses for the proposed 'deep sea' Galway Bay salmon farm that will double national production.

Read the Press Release   |  Read the letter

GOVERNMENT AGENCY SLAMS GALWAY BAY FISH FARM

EIS conclusions 'not supported by any scientific investigation'

A submission by the Government agency Inland Fisheries Ireland [IFI] slams the proposed Galway Bay Fish Farm. The application for the 15,000 ton salmon farm - which would be the biggest in Europe - is being made by the semi-state agency who will then franchise the license to the highest bidder.

IFI points out that 'no data is provided on the known migration routes of salmonids' to support BIM's claim that there is a 'very low to zero risk of farmed salmon sea lice infecting wild salmon', that 'the extensive literature published on interactions of sea trout and salmon lice in Ireland are not referred to or discussed', and that the sea lice issue is 'a legitimate concern in this proposal'.

It points out that the overwhelming research showing genetic modification of wild salmon are absent with the two papers referred to actually coming to the 'opposite conclusion' of that reported in the EIA.

BIM did not included the submission on their website with the other statutory consultees because it was received a day late. IFI has since resubmitted it during the public consultation (and An Taisce has provided a detailed justification of their submission, which BIM challenged in a response published online) but the Department has indicated that they will not be posting online these submissions, contrary to the Access to Information Directive's requirement for 'active dissemination' of environmental information. There are reported to be an unprecedented number of objections.

Inland Fisheries Ireland submission on its website   | Details of new international study showing 38% wild salmon mortalities due to sea lice