Vol. 502 No. 5
28 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the grave concerns of the whelk fishermen's organisation regarding the removal of washed gravel from the codling bank; and the meetings, if any, his Department has held to allay its concerns. [8022/99]
The proposed removal of gravel from the Codling Bank is part of proposed essential beach protection works at the sea front at Bray. In addition to protecting the sea front there will also be protection for the substantial State investment in rail, telecommunications and other infrastructure in the area and the risk of flooding in the town will be much reduced.
The proposal, which was made by Bray Urban District Council and was the subject of an environmental impact statement, is for the removal of a maximum of 250,000 cubic metres of gravel from the Codling Bank and its placement on the sea shore at Bray. The gravel is to be taken from an area which comprises approximately 1/800th of the Codling Bank. The whelk fishermen were not among the groups which made objections or observations when the EIS was published. Their concerns were, however, covered in the submission made by the Irish Fishermen's Organisation.
The objections received were put to Bray Urban Distinct Council and their responses considered. The position in regard to whelk is that they have neither specific spawning nor nursery areas. It is also possible to remove a substantial portion of the whelk from the area in question to an appropriate area before dredging takes place. Before a foreshore licence to allow for the removal of gravel was granted, expert opinion was obtained to the effect that the adverse effects on fisheries would be minimal. Nevertheless, I have put in place a liaison group which will meet before dredging commences and during and after dredging to rapidly identify and promptly deal with any difficulties which may arise. In addition the foreshore licence granted obliges Bray Urban District Council to ensure that the works will not be injurious to, inter alia, fishing and to carry out a hydrographic survey of the dredged area immediately after dredging is completed and a further hydrographic survey twelve months later. The results of those surveys will be submitted to me for consideration and any action I deem necessary.
I have met with fishermen from Howth and my Department has also met with a number of fishing organisations under the umbrella of the Irish Fishermen's Organisation. These included the whelk fishermen. I have no reason to believe that there are grounds for concern over the future of our whelk fisheries as a result of the dredging proposed, but I will in any event keep this matter under review.
