Catherine Connolly
Question:
1113. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 616 of 23 June 2020, the number and location of all sea lice inspections carried out in the Connemara region in 2020 and to date in 2021; the results of same; if orders were issued pursuant to an inspection; the number of inspections it is expected to conduct for the remainder of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10461/21]
View answer
The provision of the detailed information sought by the Deputy will necessitate an extensive examination of my Department’s records and consultation with the Marine Institute who operate the control protocols for the management of sea lice on behalf of the State.
A detailed reply will be forwarded to the Deputy within 10 days.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
Further to the Minister’s reply to the above Parliamentary Question, please see the relevant information requested below in relation to sea lice inspections carried out in the Connemara region. The control protocols for the management of sea lice are operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State. The Marine Institute has advised the Department that it conducted 44 sea lice inspections in the Connemara region from January 2020 to date. These inspections were carried out across six active sites in Kilkieran Bay, Bertraghboy Bay, Clifden Bay, Ballinakill Harbour and Killary Harbour in accordance with Monitoring Protocol No. 3 for Offshore Finfish Farms - Sea Lice Monitoring and Control. This monitoring programme involves the inspection and sampling of each year class of fish at active fish farm sites 14 times per year (twice per month during March, April and May and monthly for the remainder of the year except December to January where one inspection is carried out during this period).
The Marine Institute has indicated that sea lice levels on salmon farms in the Connemara region in 2020 and to date have been generally low and continue to remain below treatment trigger levels for the most part with just one notice to treat issued during the period referred to following inspections conducted by the Marine Institute. This notice to treat occurred due to elevated mobile sea lice levels on a site in Kilkieran Bay during January 2020 (ovigerous sea lice levels were below trigger levels). The sea lice levels at this site were found to be below treatment trigger levels by the time of the next inspection in February 2020.
Following Covid-19 measures introduced by the Government, the sea lice monitoring programme was temporarily suspended from 24th March until 29th June 2020. During this time all active farms in the Connemara region submitted self-reported sea lice levels from their sites to the Marine Institute on a fortnightly basis from March 2020 to May 2020 and monthly for June 2020. The Marine Institute resumed sea lice inspections from 1st July 2020 and continued to inspect all active sites for the remainder of 2020.
The most recent sea lice inspections conducted by the Marine Institute in the Connemara region were during December 2020 when four sea lice inspections were carried out and all were found to be below treatment trigger levels. The sea lice monitoring programme was again temporarily suspended in January 2021 following the increase in the incidence of Covid-19 cases. Based on self-reported farm data from the remaining two active sites in the Connemara region during the December 2020 to January 2021 period one site in Clifden Bay was found to be above the relevant treatment trigger levels for ovigerous sea lice in January 2021. The sea lice data for February 2021 indicates that ovigerous sea lice levels at this site have since been reduced to below treatment trigger levels, although total mobile sea lice levels at the site are high. This site is currently being harvested and this is expected to be completed by late March 2021. Although formal notices to treat have not issued following the provision of self-reported data from the farms during the course of the Covid-19 emergency, the Marine Institute has remained in constant communication with the industry regarding ongoing actions to control sea lice.
The current Covid-19 situation is being closely monitored and the Marine Institute expects to resume a full suite of sea lice inspections during the core Spring period in accordance with Monitoring Protocol No. 3 for Offshore Finfish Farms - Sea Lice Monitoring and Control. The resumption of inspections will however be dependent on public health guidance issued by the Government, the Covid-19 infection rates across the western seaboard and on the assumption that the farms do not have active cases around the time of inspection. In the interim, the Marine Institute has again requested that all operators self-report sea lice levels from their active Atlantic salmon sites. This request is being fully complied with.
