asked the Minister for Agriculture if, in view of the difficulty in obtaining cockles in the Dublin market, he will recommend to the Irish Sea Fisheries Association the development of the cockle industry at Trienagh and Dooey in West Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Development of Cockle Industry.
The experience of attempts to market cockles in Dublin has been that there was no sustained interest in such shellfish, and there seems little prospect that the cockle industry in West Donegal could be developed on the basis of so uncertain a market.
The Sea Fisheries Association receives inquiries occasionally for cockles for export, and I have arranged that an officer of the association will visit the places mentioned by the Deputy to discuss the position with the local gatherers, in the hope that it may be possible to take supplies from them to meet any orders that the association may receive in future.