At the outset, my Department took the view that Ireland did not need to propose SACs for salmon under the EU Habitats Directive. This view was held because the species is widespread in Ireland and designation of SACs was not seen as adding usefully to existing conservation mechanisms. The EU's first Atlantic region biogeographic seminar in late 1999 did not accept this view. This forum provides the agreed process for evaluating proposals from member states. As a result, we accepted that we should identify and propose sites for salmon.
During 2000 staff of my Department consulted widely, particularly with fisheries boards, which provided extensive information on salmon distribution and abundance. It is my Department's responsibility to assess this information, having regard to the criteria in the directive, to identify which sites merit formal proposal as SACs and to advise me accordingly. Based on this advice, I have approved the formal listing for salmon of rivers in 13 existing candidate SACs, where the salmon interest is wholly or largely within the existing SAC. I have also decided in principle that 11 of these SACs should be extended slightly to encompass the salmon interest more fully, that another five existing SACs should be more substantially extended and listed for salmon and that four new SACs should be proposed for salmon, namely the Rivers Feale, Finn, Mulcair and Moy.
Before these sites or extensions can be officially notified, detailed survey work is required to define their boundaries. This work was estimated to take until late this year at least, even before it was delayed by current foot and mouth disease precautions. It is not possible, therefore, for these new proposals to be formally transmitted to the EU Commission in time for them to be officially taken into account at the next Atlantic region seminar scheduled for September of this year. I am arranging for details of all areas proposed as candidate SACs to be supplied to the Deputy, together with information on the existing candidate SACs to be listed and extended for salmon.
