Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 1

Written Answers. - Sea Trout Report.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

178 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for the Marine in view of the importance of salmon farming to the west, the reason his Department intends to publish a supplementary report to the 1993 Sea Trout Working Group Report without adequately noting that the statistical analysis therein has already been independently analysed by a leading authority on fisheries statistics and was shown to be erroneous and that field experiments conducted during 1994 by independent experts whose work was subsequently recognised in leading international scientific journals also shows the report to be in error. [11778/95]

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Barrett)

The supplement to the 1993 Report of the Sea Trout Working Group is included by way of an appendix to the Report of the Sea Trout Working Group on the 1994 research effort, which has just been published. The group comprises leading scientists from the Department's Fishery Research Centre, the Salmon Research Agency, UCC, UCD and TCD as well as specialist consultants. Scientists who undertook the field trials referred to by the Deputy presented their findings to the Working Group. These, together with the other latest available data and analyses, were evaluated and taken into account as part of the group's comprehensive assessment of the 1994 research programme.

The Introduction to the Report states that the supplementary report should be considered only in conjunction with the contents of the 1994 report which incorporates new, amended and improved analysis. The report has been referred for consideration to the Sea Trout Monitoring and Advisory Group. The national programme of research into all aspects of the complex sea trout problem is continuing, together with the programmes of management, conservation and rehabilitation recommended by the Sea Trout Task Force.