I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to place on the record of the Seanad the great concern of the people of counties Cavan, Westmeath, Meath and Longford where Lough Sheelin has played a pivotal role for generations. As one of their Oireachtas representatives, I wish to raise the great concern of the people of this area in the House tonight. I thank the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources for coming to listen to the concerns which I will highlight for him and for the opportunity to listen attentively to his reply. I hope he will present a long-term plan for Lough Sheelin under the auspices of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.
Lough Sheelin has been one of the great assets in our area for many years. The first objective for the people in the area of the lough is to stop the culling of all fish, including trout, which are also killed in nets as this interferes with the natural ecological balance of the fishery. Our second objective is to extend the pike fishing season to the whole year as Lough Sheelin is the only lake in Ireland which has a totally closed season, making it viable for tourists for only seven months in the year as opposed to 12 months on Lough Corrib, Lough Mask, Lough Owel and Lough Ennel, the other designated trout fishing lakes. This would better serve the local business community and bring much needed revenue to Lough Sheelin.
Anyone who knows Lough Sheelin can only sympathise with those who invested hard-earned savings in building guest houses only to find that the season is so short. The Sheelin Shamrock, a hotel on the shore of the lake, had to close because of the deterioration in the lake over the years, mainly due to pollution from outside sources. The Minister's predecessor, former Deputy John Wilson, made great attempts to remove the dreaded pollution which had been created by third parties, whose identities were widely known in the area. The closure of five guest houses in the area has been attributed to the lack of fish stocks in the lake. I call on the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board to reassure the people of the entire midlands and the fishing community throughout Europe, who have visited our area for many years.
We are led to believe that the Inny system is to be made a licensed fishery. This would further discourage tourists from coming to the area and would mean that Finea and the parish of Castlepollard, where I reside, would be the only areas of Ireland with no free fishing at all. This would stop local tourists and day trippers from coming to our area for the pleasant sport of fishing. The Minister's constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Cuív, has visited our area, which is included in the CLÁR programme as one of three or four areas with the greatest decline in population. Four townlands adjacent to the village of Finea have endured population declines of almost 100%.
These are the concerns I bring to the House and I look forward to the Minister's response. As one who seeks a Dáil seat in County Westmeath, I speak on behalf of the deprived area in the north of that county. The people of the area do not receive their fair share and I speak for them because, in the words of Patrick Farrell, "Where is the one who does not love the land where he was born?" It is for that reason that I highlight their problems in the House and I hope, with their support, to continue to do so in the future.