The Central Fisheries Board carried out a fishery survey of the Castlebar River, Lough Cullin and Lough Conn in 2001 at the request of the North-Western Regional Fisheries Board. The comprehensive reports of the survey are not yet available. However, the central board informs me that an initial review of the data allows it to make the following comments.
The lower reaches of the Castlebar River are badly polluted and support very poor stocks of salmonoids relative to other clean channels in the Moy catchment; the phosphorous load from the Castlebar River has created eutrophic conditions in Lough Cullin periodically and is also probably contributing to the eutrophication problem in Lough Conn; and the decline of Lough Cullin as a trout angling fishery is both directly and indirectly related to the polluted nature of the Castlebar River.
The north-western board informs me that, in accordance with its statutory duty to protect inland fisheries, it has appealed against a proposed new sewerage scheme for Castlebar on the grounds that the proposed scheme will involve the continued discharge of treated effluent into the Castlebar River. The central and north west regional fishery boards concur that the appropriate longterm solution is the re-routing of treated sewage from Castlebar to an outfall in Clew Bay which in their considered view would not adversely impact on water quality in the Bay. The matter is now for decision by An Bord Pleanála in the light of all the relevant factors and submissions.
