All of us in angling work hard to get cleaner water for our fish but also for everyone else as well. That is why we constantly advocate and make submissions on water management and to get Ministers and Government to get far more serious about water management as we face big fines from EU unless we change very fast. We know this now as the publication of the much anticipated River Basin Management Plan sets out how our surface waters and groundwater will be managed up to 2021. Half of our rivers and lakes are in an unhealthy state and the Plan proposes restoring the measly target of only 12% which just shows how serious this government is about fixing what is badly broken. How can our members on every river and lake continue to give our massive commitment to work with the state bodies if they are setting themselves such a small target as 12%. This threatens Ireland’s images of a ‘clean green’ tourist destination and its capability to become a truly environmentally-friendly food producer through such programmes as ‘Origin Green’. It is also important to note that the Plan is almost completely silent on the coast and our inshore waters, even though the WFD extends to one nautical mile. . . . “
We are losing the momentum Irish anglers have gained in combatting pollution and it means that our river communities miss out on the massive benefits of a clean and healthy local river, lake or beach for commerce, recreation and well-being.
See irish times article below
Environmental groups slate Government water plan
River Basin Management Plan ‘lacks ambition’ and political will, critics say
Kevin O'SullivanTue, Apr 17, 2018, 16:30
The Government’s latest plan to protect Ireland’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters has been criticised by environmental groups as inadequate and lacking ambition.
The River Basin Management Plan falls far short of what is needed to address persistent environmental failures that are putting pressures on Irish water systems, they say.
These pressures include continuing discharges of raw and inadequately treated sewage; inappropriate spreading of slurry, fertiliser and pesticides on farmland; unsuitable coniferous forestry and drainage of peatland and wetlands; and faulty septic tanks, according to the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN).
There is an absence of what is needed to protect our rivers, lakes and bays and to bring them up to “a healthy standard”, SWAN says.
The plan lacks the political will needed to support Ireland’s claims to be a ‘green’ tourist destination, according to the Network, an umbrella group for 25 environmental groups. It also threatens Ireland’s capability to become a truly environmentally-friendly food producer through such programmes as Origin Green”, according to coordinator Sinéad O’Brien.
This was in spite of putting in place welcome new overseeing structures including a team of officials and scientists based in the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government, and another at local authority level.
The legal requirement under the EU Water Framework Directive in place since 2000 is to introduce new measures to bring Irish rivers, lakes and bays up to a “good” ecological state by 2021, Ms O’Brien said.
“However this obligation has been under-resourced to the extent that half (52 per cent) of Ireland’s rivers and lakes are failing to achieve the ‘good status’ required by the directive. This latest plan is sadly consistent with Ireland’s lack of ambition to date, proposing to fix only a small fraction (12 per cent) of these,” she said.
“This plan lacks ambition and is an exercise in doing the best you can to stem pollution whilst imposing no significant obligations for change on any of the sectors responsible.”
SWAN said far more State investment was needed to end the discharge of raw and poorly treated sewage into rivers and bays . “Grant-aid to farmers must shift so as to support farming that prevents water pollution, protects the rural landscape and contributes to sustainable flood management, rather than encouraging intensification programme not yet proven to be sustainable.”
www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/environmental-groups-slate-government-water-plan-1.3464646 ...
Photo
Talk about a salmon farming policy that shoots ourselves.
Congratulations to Billy Smyth and Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages on their objection to the state bank rolling another project for an industry that allegedly made €46 million profits in Conamara last year and much to the delight of their shareholders in Norway who are enjoying it right now.
Here is Billy’s press release.
GALWAY BAY AGAINST SALMON CAGES PRESS RELEASE
Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages (GBASC) have lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the decision of Galway County Council to grant permission to Údarás na Gaeltachta for offices and a foul water holding tank at the Aquaculture Business Park in Kilkieran Connemara.
GBASC committee members, after extensive consultation with our supporters, voted unanimously at a recent meeting to object to the Údarás planning application on legal and environmental grounds. We believe that this planning application would be the first step in the setting up, of what will be, primarily, a farmed salmon Aquaculture Business Park. The overall plan is to build the following at the Kilkieran site,
(a) A smolt rearing plant for nearby salmon farms. This would allow salmon farms to increase production in Connemara which would pose an increased risk to the already dwindling wild salmon, sea trout and shell fish stocks in the area.
(b) Salt and fresh water holding tanks will be built on site. Millions of litres of fresh water per day will be taken from the Kilkieran/Carna water supply in the summer months to treat farmed salmon at nearby salmon farms against Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD). The Kilkieran/Carna water scheme is already in difficulty with low pressure and over use etc. and that's in the winter months.
(c) A pier will be built on the foreshore for the salmon farm Well boats to come in and abstract the fresh water from the holding tanks. After dosing the fish with fresh water and Hydrogen Peroxide or other toxic pesticides, this contaminated water is then dumped in the Bay which is an SAC.
(d) Storage facilities for fish feed and equipment will also be provided for the salmon farmers. This feed storage unit could possibly cause a rat infestation if not secured properly.
(e) A shellfish holding area will also be provided, which is odd, as Údarás admit in their planning application that, ''Fishing in the area is no longer viable,'' and why, you might ask, is fishing no longer viable? There is concern that toxic pollution from salmon farms may have contributed to its destruction.
GBASC are concerned that Údarás are spending millions of euro of public money to provide facilities for the untouchable salmon farm industry that claims to have had a turnover of 46 million euro in Connemara last year alone.
As Minister of State for Inland Fisheries and being aware of the deadly impact that the salmon farming industry has on the wild salmon and sea trout stocks, resulting in the loss of income and jobs, Minister Kyne should reconsider his support for this questionable project.
We note also that the Canadian multi national seaweed producer Arcadian Seaplants may also be provided with facilities in the Aquaculture Business Park.
Questions still have to be answered by Údarás in relation to the secret deal and sale of Arramara Teo to this Multi national company. END
Submission to An Bord Pleanála attached.
Billy Smyth
Chairman, Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages
10 Colmans Rd,
Shantalla, Galway
Phone 0863511628
Brian Curran Secretary/PRO
Phone 0872509722
Aine ni Cheannabhan (Irish Speaker)
Phone 0858884489 ...
Photo
Good awareness report from RTÉ but omit to point out that INLAND FISHERIES IRELAND continue to deny local anglers their fishing due to their inaction and the inaction of the council to repair the weir problem. Once again anglers and salmon conservation have to take the hit. FISSTA are appealing this bye law that is out to public consultation until next week 19th April. Have your say and support the local Anglers. ...
Video
Not much change in Scotland since this time last year when the salmon farming industry admitted their pollution to produce their fish targets. Compare this to Norway one month later last May when the main salmon farmer Marine Harvest admitted their sealice fight was futile and agreed to change by signing up to the Norske Industri sealice free roadmap. So it’s time for Scotland and Ireland to clean up their filthy salmon farming industry and respect our Marine environment even if our state bodies continue to cover up for them.BBC Scottish business report get the biggest salmon farmers to admit that they are polluting to produce at the expense of our marine environment Read and weep
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-39578173?SThisFB
Marine Harvest has revealed that more than two-thirds of its salmon farms in Scotland broke statutory sea lice limits last year.
The figure of 69% was more than four times the average for the Norwegian group's overall operations.
Marine Harvest cited a number of factors for the difficulty in tackling the problem of sea lice in Scotland.
They included "abnormally high water temperatures for extended periods" and insufficient cleaner fish capacity.
Sea lice feed on the skin and blood of salmon, and can weaken the health of fish and its growth.
In its annual report, Marine Harvest highlighted the impact of the parasites on its operations in Scotland, where it operates more than 50 sites.
Last year, it harvested about 45,000 tonnes of salmon of Scottish origin - more than 5,000 less than in 2015.
The company said mortality losses amounted to 6.5 million euros, while costs associated with sea lice treatment and mitigation rose substantially.
Marine Harvest workersImage copyrightMARINE HARVEST
Marine Harvest said it had made good progress in tackling sea lice at its business units in Ireland, Canada and to some extent Chile.
However, it added: "Disappointingly, several factors, including abnormally high water temperatures for extended periods, insufficient cleaner fish capacity, limited access to non-medicinal treatment systems and extraordinary lice pressure, singly or in combination, precluded optimal control and hampered full application of our strategy in Scotland."
The group said new non-medicinal lice treatment methods, including Thermolicers - which bathe fish briefly in lukewarm water - had generated "new challenges", particularly at its Greshornish site on the Isle of Skye.
It added: "At Greshornish, we lost 115,283 fish during our first full-scale Thermolicer treatment because we lacked experience and failed to fully anticipate the consequences of treating fish compromised by amoebic gill disease with water of up to 34 degrees centigrade.
"This incident highlights the importance of experience and the fine line in judging how and when we treat our fish stocks. We will do our utmost to prevent this from happening in the future."
Marine Harvest infographImage copyrightMARINE HARVEST
Image caption
This Marine Harvest graph shows 69% of its Scottish sites went above accepted sea lice levels last year
Marine Harvest said its research and development focus now included the "optimisation" of non-medicinal treatments and cleaner-fish use, as well as "biotechnological solutions".
Chief executive Alf-Helge Aarskog said: "Sea lice remain our number one challenge, and as such will continue to be our top R&D priority for the foreseeable future.
"Uncontrolled, sea lice impact fish welfare, survival and growth.
"However, it has become apparent that sea lice numbers can be brought under control through increased use of non-medicinal treatment methods.
"Although we still have a way to go, we increased our use of non-medicinal tools in 2016 and expect to reap the benefits of our efforts going forward." ...
Photo