Fish Farming

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 June 2015

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Questions (127, 128)

Clare Daly

Question:

127. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that the majority of site inspections undertaken by his Department do not check the condition of the shackles, an important structural component of fish farm installations, when an inspection of these shackles is required on his Department’s checklist for marine fish farms; and the measures he plans to take to ensure that inspection checklists for marine fish farms are properly completed. [24150/15]

Clare Daly

Question:

128. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that there is no requirement to ensure operators of marine fish farms undertake appropriate and regular inspections of every item of the mooring system by divers, cleaned down where necessary to allow such inspections, with its conditions recorded and submitted to his Department, as recommended to him by his Department's engineering division; and if he is satisfied that no such requirement is needed, in view of the failure of such structural components at Inver Bay in 2010, Clew Bay in 2010, and Bantry Bay in 2014 with the total loss of more than 300,000 salmon. [24151/15]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 128 together.

My Department's Inspection Checklist for Marine Finfish Farms includes a section on the condition of the shackles and where appropriate and in so far as it is possible to do so, having regard to visibility constraints pertaining at the time, this section is filled in by the inspector.

I would also point out that my Department is currently finalising a Protocol for the Structural Design of Marine Finfish Farms that will specifically address the structural design of the components of finfish farms including the shackles and other important elements of the farm structure. I can also confirm that the Inspection Checklist for Marine Finfish Farms is currently being updated by my Department.