Ba mhith liom i dtosach buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Aire Stáit sa ucht teach isteach agus éisteacht len a bhfuil le rá agam. Tá mé cinnte go bhfuil an tAire fiosrach faoi cén tubaist atá taréis titim ar iascairí an iarthair nár chuala sé faoi agus beidh athas air a chloisteáil nach bhfuil fadhb ann i láthair na huaire. Is fadhb í a éireoidh, áfach, agus ba cheart dúinn a bheith faoi réir chuige. Mura réiteofar an fhadhb seo tá go leor daoine ar mhaith leo dul ag plé le slog-éisc nach mbeidh in ann é sin a dhéanamh i ngeall ar éiginnteacht sa tionscal.
I thank the Minister of State for coming in to reply. He is probably wondering if some disaster has hit the shellfish industry recently. To my knowledge this has not happened but we will need a compensation fund in place when the problem arises to ensure the continuance in business of shellfish farmers. We all agree that shellfish is one of our underdeveloped natural resources. It is important that we develop it in such a way that individuals and small groups will be able to derive the maximum advantage. One of the major difficulties to date has been that a person, through no fault of their own but through natural circumstances, could lose a year's income due to red tide.
Algal blooms or red tides are phenomena that occur in Irish maritime waters from time to time. They occur both offshore and inshore and are caused by the tiny plants which inhabit the open seas. Blooms are brought about by an extensive growth of one or several species of these tiny plants. Most blooms are natural events, quite harmless and even beneficial to the environment. Some blooms can be so intense that they cause a discolouration of the water. This discolouration is usually brown, red-brown or red-orange, hence the name red tide.
Occasionally blooms can contain toxic or harmful species while on other occasions they are responsible for bringing about drastic changes in water quality which can be detrimental to aquaculture operations in both fish and shellfish. One such change is the significant reduction in the oxygen content in the water and such an occurrence effectively wiped out a major shellfish operation involving abalone in Clew Bay last year. A few species of these tiny plants have the capacity to produce potent toxins that can find their way through both fish and shellfish to humans. The plants responsible for the vast majority of shellfish toxicity problems in Ireland belong to a group called dinophysis and its related toxicity is called DSP.
The length of closure following red tide can vary depending on the intensity of the toxins. Closure at any time is disruptive but is extremely serious during the winter sales period October-March each year when the bulk of the crop is sold.
The financial consequences vary depending on the lenght of closure and the tonnage at the time in a particular bay. The most recent example is Killary Harbour in my constituency which was closed from November 1995 to May 1996, resulting in a loss of sales of approximately 500 tonnes. Mussels are valued at between £400 and £450 a tonne. The consequences of such a closure are that the farmer loses the total crop or faces a serious reduction in the value of the crop and a serious loss of income over a long period, in some cases a year.
In the event of red tide I suggest a fund be available, out of which compensation could be paid automatically to fish farmers in the event of such a natural occurrence. Similar compensation funds have been made available for farmers who suffered serious losses in potato crops etc. I understand a compensation package was made available to farmers in the south-west region in recent years for loss of mussels. It is important that oyster, fish and mussel farmers should be guaranteed an income which is necessary if this industry is to reach its potential. Security of income should be put on a regular footing. An industry that has not contributed in the way it should would reach its full potential and give to the economy a new source of income which it badly needs.
Ba mhaith lion iarraidh ar an Aire breathnú go báiúil ar an iarratas seo. Dhéanfadh sé andifríocht d'fhorbairt an tionscail seo. Is ceann le na riachtanais mhóra atá ann. Déarfainn féin go dtuigeann sé tábhacht an tslog-éisc do phobal an chósta agus an méid gur féidir leis cur le hioncam na ndaoine atá ina gcomhnaí sna ceantair sin.
