Current stringent management practices and controls governing the operation of fish farms are kept under continuous review in line with our policy objective for the sustainable development of aquaculture. In May 2000 I intro duced five new aquaculture protocols with the support of the fish farming industry as part of an overall strategy to support the highest environmental standards for the Irish aquaculture sector. The Protocols have been welcomed by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation, an international body whose remit is the conservation and protection of wild salmon stocks in the north Atlantic region, and one of them relates to the sealice monitoring and control, where experience gained over the past decade has enabled Ireland to become a world leader in the development of sealice management and control strategies.
I take the opportunity to inform the House that I have recently established a group to review the current status of sea trout stocks throughout the mid-western sea trout fisheries area, including examining the operation and management of fish counters and traps on key sea trout catchments with a view to improving data collection generally on stock levels. I have also asked the group to consider ways in which local aquaculture operators and sport fishery operators can liaise and co-operate on an ongoing basis through the linking of co-ordinated local aquaculture management systems and the catchment management process and establish a pilot project to further this objective.
