Vol. 557 No. 6
148 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the huge amount of salmon which are lying decaying on the seabed in Inver Bay, County Donegal, at a site (details supplied); the way in which this happened; and the steps his Department intends to take to ensure that this does not happen in future. [23196/02]
Investigations carried out by my Department earlier this year led to the discovery of significant numbers of dead fish under and adjacent to a cage at a fish farm in Inver Bay, County Donegal. The company concerned was directed to provide a comprehensive report on all matters relevant to the detection of the dead fish and their plans for rectifying the situation.
The report was prepared by Aqua-Fact International Services Limited and was examined in detail by my Department in conjunction with the Marine Institute. It was concluded that, in all the circumstances, the recommendations made by the consultants represented the appropriate way to deal with the situation. My Department sought and obtained from the company an assurance that the recommendations made by the consultants would be implemented in full. Monthly monitoring of the area concerned is being carried out and will continue until ambient conditions are reached.
