Written Answers. - Chemical Usage in Fish Farming.
Monica Barnes
Question:
5
Mrs. Barnes
asked the
Minister for the Marine
if he will establish a committee to examine and report on the usage of chemicals in commercial fish farming with its consequent effects on water quality and on natural fish stocks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have no proposals to establish such a committee at present.
Environmental impact assessment procedures, in accordance with the relevant EC Directive, are now applied by my Department in respect of all marine fin-fish farms where production is to exceed 100t per annum. Environmental impact assessment procedures in respect of fresh water fish farms are operated by local authorities as part of the planning process. These procedures are thorough and involve an assessment of relevant water bodies, their assimilative capacities and the potential impact on adjacent fish stocks and the environment generally of any anticipated chemical usage.
My powers in this general area derive from my role as licensing authority for fish culture projects and relate to the conditions which may be imposed through that regime. In this connection my Department carefully monitors usage of chemicals at Irish fish farms and operates a notification procedure in relation to usage of certain products. In addition, there are a number of other agencies at Government and local level with responsibilities in this area.
The Department of Agriculture and Food, for example, control the use of veterinary medical products under the relevant EC Directives; the National Drugs Advisory Board have responsibilities in relation to the availability of drugs; and local authorities, to which I referred earlier, have responsibilities under the Planning and Water Pollution Acts. I can take this opportunity, moreover, to advise the Deputy that an interdepartmental working group, set up by the Government, under the auspices of my Department, are already considering the environmental aspects of freshwater aquaculture installations and it would not be my intention, pending at the least the outcome of that group's investigations, to pursue the setting up of an additional committee. That group's work is progressing and is taking into account, for example, experience in other countries with fish farming industries.
Finally, I would take this opportunity to advise the Deputy that on 26 February last my Department published a major study in relation to the impact of fish farming on Irish coastal waters. The report was written by Dr. Richard Gowan of the National Environment Research Council of Scotland and assessed the results to date of my Department's extensive monitoring programmes for the industry in five long term intensively farmed areas, Mulroy Bay, County Donegal, Killary, County Mayo, Ballinakill, Bartraghboy and Kilkieran, County Galway. I was keen that this assessment on the impact of fish farming on the marine environment should be undertaken so that the facts and their scientific evaluation could be presented objectively in the interests of better informed public discussion of the issues involved. The report confirms my view that by and large our fish farms are properly maintained and have little or no adverse impact on the environment.
