Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Nov 1990

Vol. 402 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Granting of Aquaculture Licences.

Roger T. Garland

Ceist:

18 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for the Marine the reason information requested in Parliamentary Question No. 86 of 16 May 1990 has not yet been furnished; if he will now give the date, nature, duration, tonnage and recipients of licences granted by his Department together with the applications now under consideration in or near (1) Killary Harbour (2) Ballynakill Bay (3) Cleggan Bay (4) Clifden Bay (5) Mannin Bay (6) Ballyconneely Bay (7) Roundstone Bay (8) Bertraghboy Bay (9) Ard Bay (10) Mweenish Bay (11) Kilkieran Bay (12) Cashreen Bay (13) Camus Bay and (14) Greatman's Bay; if he will also outline the sea areas for which these licences have been granted together with applications for licences in these areas which were refused.

Mr. Wilson

I propose to circulate a table in the Official Report. As I have indicated to this House, it is my intention to bring all aquaculture projects — as outlined in the Government's Environmental Action Programme — within the licensing framework at an early date. The target date set in the programme was end 1991, but I hope to improve significantly on that. The delay in replying was due to the complexity of the files — which until the establishment of the Marine Department had been handled from the foreshore licensing viewpoint by the Department of Communications and from the aquaculture licensing viewpoint by the Department of Fisheries and Forestry — to the necessity to clarify a number of legal issues and to the priority which I attached to finalising applications.

The following is the table:

Name	Site Location	Licence Status	Species	Tonnage
Bradán Mara	Salt Point, Inner Bertrabui Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	400 tonnes
Rough Point, Outer Bertrabui Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	600 tonnes
West of Birmore Island, Kilkieran Bay	Aquaculture Licence being processed. Approved w.e.f., 13/2/1987	Salmon	400 tonnes
East of Birmore Island	Approved. Aquaculture Licence being processed	Salmon	400 tonnes
Sealax Ltd.	Inner Bertrabui Bay	Licensed w.e.f., 8/12/1989	Salmon	200 tonnes
Patrick McDonagh	Coonawilleen Bay, Kilkieran Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	50 tonnes
Emerald Fisheries	Namacken Rocks, Kilkieran Bay	Licensed w.e.f., 8/6/1989	Salmon	600 tonnes
Ardmore Bay, Kilkieran Bay	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	400 tonnes
Casheen Salmon Enterprises Ltd.	Casheen Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	100 tonnes
Comhlucht Bheathamara Conamara	Casheen Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	100 tonnes
Muirgheal Teo.	Illauneeragh, Lettercallow, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	200 tonnes
Knock Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	100 tonnes
Bradán Mara	Casheen Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	400 tonnes
Cuigeal Teo.	Kiggaul Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	100 tonnes
Iascaireacht Annaghvaan Teo/Camus Fisheries	West of Leighton Island, Kilkieran Bay	Licensed w.e.f., 8/6/1989	Salmon	150 tonnes
Gurraigh Sea Farms/Camus Fisheries	Gurraigh Sound, Kilkieran Bay	Licensed w.e.f., 8/6/1989	Salmon	200 tonnes
Carraroe Sea Farms Ltd.	Greatman's Bay, Kilkieran Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	160 tonnes
Iascaireacht Chuan Chaisin Teo.	Coonawilleen Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	50 tonnes
Casheen Bay	Licensed w.e.f. 9/8/1988	Salmon	100 tonnes
Iascaigh Innis Barra Teo.	Innisbarra Bay	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	50 tonnes
D.M.C.I., Golam Teo.	Golam Harbour	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	50 tonnes
Eisc Uí Fhlatharta Teo.	Ardmore Bay, Kilkieran	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	50 tonnes
Bradán Feasa	Coonawilleen Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	50 tonnes
Stoiricin Teo.	Gurraigh Sound	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	50 tonnes
Bradán Ur Atlantach Teo.	Inis Oirr, Aran Island	Licensed w.e.f., 26/5/1989	Salmon	700 tonnes
Ard Bear Seafarms	Ardbear Bay, Clifden Bay	Aquaculture Licence accepted	Salmon	100 tonnes
Killary Salmon Co. Ltd.	Killary Harbour	Approved w.e.f., 15/5/1985. Licence being processed	Salmon	450 tonnes
Tullymountain Salmon Farm Ltd.	Inner Ballynakill Harbour and Freaghillaun	Licensed for Inner Harbour w.e.f., 17/10/1979 Aquaculture Licence being processed for Freaghillaun	Salmon	A combined total of 1,200 tonnes approved
Mannin Bay Salmon Co. Ltd.	Mannin Bay	Licensed w.e.f., 19/7/1989	Salmon	200 tonnes
Carricklahan Seafarms	Clifden Bay	Aquaculture Licence being processed	Salmon	250 tonnes
Connemara Fish Farm and Supplies	Bertraghboy Bay	Aquaculture Licence offered	Salmon	50 tonnes
Michael Lee	West of Redflag Island, Kilkieran Bay	Aquaculture Licence being processed	Salmon	100 tonnes

Note:“Approved” denotes that written authorisation for the fish farms has issued on behalf of the Minister for the Marine. The Government are committed, under the Environment Action Programme, to regularising the licence status of all such operations by the end of 1991, and efforts to meet this objective are will on target.

Mr. Garland

I join with my colleagues in congratulating the Minister on his appointment as Tánaiste. I would make the point that I hope this additional appointment will not in any way take from his work in the Department of the Marine because it is an extremely important Department. Not having seen the Minister's detailed reply I can only assume that he has answered it correctly. I quite agree it would be unreasonable to take up the time of the House as it was a very detailed question. However, six months seems an inordinate length of time to answer a question like this. One would have thought the Minister would have considered answering part of the question. In answer to the question in the Dáil on 16 May he said that in so far as the information to hand he would make it available as soon as possible. He has not done so. Even part of the information would be very useful——

An Ceann Comhairle

I am anxious to facilitate the Deputy by way of eliciting information but we must proceed by way of supplementary question.

Mr. Garland

May I ask the Minister if in the future he will try to answer at least part of some of these questions and not leave the matter in abeyance for six months?

Mr. Wilson

My instinct would be to reply and to reply immediately but, as the Deputy will see, I have six full typed foolscap pages of a reply ready for him. This took considerable research coupled with the work we were doing in regularising the licensing system. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Deputy and other Deputies who have wished me well.