Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 May 2004
77 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his investigations into dumping of farm salmon in County Galway in the summer of 2003 and Inver Bay, County Donegal in 2002 have come to an end; if persons have been charged with this dumping; the body from which the results of his investigations can be obtained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13634/04]
View answer96 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the position regarding an investigation into the aquaculture industry shown on a television programme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13635/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 96 together.
As indicated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 121 of 24 February 2004, investigations have been carried out into last summer's discovery of salmon buried on land near Casla, County Galway. As proceedings are pending, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter at this time.
The action taken with regard to the events in 2002 at Inver Bay, County Donegal was also detailed in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 121 of 24 February 2004. It was decided by the Department, taking account of all the circumstances, not to initiate a prosecution into these events.
A detailed investigation into the fish mortalities at salmon farms in Donegal Bay last year was carried out for my Department by the Marine Institute. The investigation's report was published in March and is available on the Marine Institute's website. It found that most likely the initial insult to the fish that died may have been caused by a biological event such as a siphonophore bloom, which may have occurred in both Inver Bay and McSwyne's Bay, and which probably coincided with an intrusion of offshore water such as occurred there in early July. The report points out that the initial insult to the fish occurred when water temperatures were higher than the optimal temperature for the cultivation of salmonids, and that, subsequent to the initial event, secondary bacterial and parasitic infections were noted. It also indicates that these infections would have added considerably to the stress of the fish, which were already severely debilitated. The report's overall conclusion is that the cause of the mortalities was multifactoral in nature, where the net cumulative result was much greater than it would have been should the initial event have occurred at lower water temperatures or in the absence of secondary infection of the gill tissue of the fish.
In addition, a comprehensive review of the systems and processes for monitoring, control and enforcement in respect of aquaculture has been carried out by my Department and has considered how existing procedures may need to be refined or reinforced to ensure the optimal operation of regulatory programmes for the industry. The work involved is substantially completed, but its finalisation was held over pending the availability of the Marine Institute's report on Donegal Bay. The review is now being completed as a matter of priority.
