asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries whether he is aware of the severe damage and loss caused to salmon stocks in the river Swilly allegedly due to pollution of the river by factory waste; and if he will investigate the matter and take the steps that are necessary to prevent further damage.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Salmon Stock Losses.
39.
I have received no such complaints but I am having the matter pursued by the local board of fishery conservators who are responsible for the protection of those waters.
While I appreciate that the Parliamentary Secretary himself, or his office, may not be aware of the grave situation that has obtained there for some time, this rather surprises me because it should have guided the Parliamentary Secretary to have an investigation carried out by some body other than the local board, who are living right on the spot and must be aware of what is going on and, apparently, have not even thought it worth their while to inform his office and keep him up-to-date.
On receipt of the Deputy's question we asked the clerk of the Swilly Board of Conservators to give us a report on the alleged occurrence and, at the same time, to take such action as seemed appropriate. From the discussions we had with him we found that the only recent case of pollution in the river was a minor one, the source of which has not yet been definitely established, and he told us that there was no evidence that salmon stocks were affected as far as could be ascertained. That is the report to date. We are getting a written report from the clerk and, after that, we will discuss the position with the Deputy.
I appreciate what the Parliamentary Secretary is doing, but could I impress on him that there is much more there than the board would seem to indicate. I hope he will find other agencies through which to make his inquiries to ensure that all the facts, rather than what appears to be glossed over at the moment by the board, who should be concerned, are brought to light.
I will bear the Deputy's suggestion in mind.