Vol. 525 No. 5
141 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the number of salmonoid special areas of conservation the Government has registered with the European Commission; if any meetings have taken place with the Commission on this issue; if further meetings are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25616/00]
Salmon is one of 200 animal species listed in the EU Habitats Directive. Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, did not initially propose special areas of conservation – SACs – for salmon. It was felt that the protection afforded the species through the regimes operated by the fisheries boards were sufficient to secure its conservation. However, following discussions at the Atlantic Region Biogeographical Conference held in 1999, salmon has been formally included as species to be conserved in 13 existing SAC sites.
My Department has held no discussions with the Commission on this matter other than those within the framework of the biogeographical conference and no such meetings are anticipated in the future.
