Pure Salmon Campaign

Pure Salmon Campaign

Written By: Don Staniford
On Date: 16/10/2006

IRELAND TO FOLLOW NORWAY IN BANNING SALMON FARMS FROM THREATENED WILD FISH AREAS? CALL TO REMOVE CAGES AWAY FROM WILD SALMON AND SEA TROUT RIVERS IN LOUGH SWILLY, DONEGAL BAY, CLEW BAY, KILLARY HARBOUR, BEIRTREACH BUI BAY AND THE KENMARE RIVER
DUBLIN, Ireland ? Ireland must follow Norway and start banning salmon farms from the mouths of wild salmon rivers and sea trout nursery areas. That is the message being delivered to the Irish Government by the Pure Salmon Campaign during their ?Farmed Salmon Exposed? global week of action (9th to 14th October). Parliamentary Questions have also been tabled in the Dail Eireann by Eamon Ryan TD.
In 2002, Norway protected the country?s most important salmon stocks by banning salmon farms from 34 salmon fjords and salmon rivers (out of 405 wild salmon areas). The Norwegian Parliament is now proposing to increase the protected areas to over 50. Lough Swilly, Donegal Bay, Clew Bay, Killary Harbour, Beirtreach Bui Bay and the Kenmare River have been identified as particular areas of concern in Ireland.
Michael Kennedy, Chairman of Save Our Sea Trout, said:
?Sea trout stocks on the West coast of Ireland have crashed since the advent of open sea cage salmon farming in the 1980s. Research published by Irish scientists has clearly shown how salmon farms can spread sea lice to wild sea trout and mass escapes threaten wild salmon. The science is already in ? now it is time for action.?
Noel Carr, Secretary of the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers, said:
?A ban on drift netting is only the first step towards protecting wild salmon stocks in Ireland. We must now take heed of the Norwegian Government and remove salmon cages from the path of migrating wild salmon.?
Eamon Ryan, Member of the Dail Eireann (Irish Parliament), said:

?We should be looking at closed systems for salmon farms and the larger ecological approach. And we should be doing everything we can to try and restore wild fish populations. Developing wild stocks is the best opportunity for those communities on the West coast where jobs are scarce.?

Paddy Hopkins, Secretary of Friends of Clew Bay, said:

?The expansion of salmon farming in Clew Bay threatens not only the pristine marine environment but also the tourist industry. Salmon farmers should adopt closed systems that treat waste effluent and stop the spread of infectious diseases, sea lice and escapes.?

Simon Ash, Fishery and Estate Manager at the Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, said:

?Wild salmon and sea trout stocks on the West coast of Ireland are the lifeblood of a vibrant tourist industry. Wild fish populations can bounce back if we remove the obstacles in their path ? and that means not just removing drift nets but having better management and more sensitive locations for aquaculture farms.?

John Mulcahy, Spokesperson for Save The Swilly, said:

?Why is a Norwegian-owned company like Marine Harvest being permitted to discharge untreated wastes and spread sea lice around Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, both natural resources belonging to the Irish people, and at times in breach of specific licence conditions, when salmon farms are being banned from fjords and rivers up and down the Norwegian coast? Everyone is entitled to make a living but not at the expense of other users, nor indeed of nature. In Ireland, it seems, the polluter pollutes, and everyone else pays.?

Dr Rod O?Sullivan of Friends of Clew Bay said:

?Salmon farming, not global warming, is the main causation for the eradication of our wild Atlantic salmon of the West coasts of Ireland. Before it?s too late, let?s act to remove salmon farms from wild salmon waterways.?

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Patrick O?Flaherty, Manager of the Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, said:

?Visitors come from the United States and all over the world to catch wild fish not escapees from salmon farms. The Ballynahinch Castle Hotel provides over sixty jobs in a remote area where jobs are scarce and boosts the rural economy. Protecting wild salmon and sea trout effectively promotes the tourist industry and the economy?.
Don Staniford, Pure Salmon Campaign?s European Representative, said:
?To save wild salmon and sea trout stocks in Ireland, Scotland and Norway we must close the net on open net cage salmon farms. A scientific paper published last week by the National Academy of Sciences revealed that sea lice from salmon farms can cause mortality rates in wild salmon of up to 95%. If that is not a wake up call nothing is. Controlling sea lice and introducing closed containment systems is the only safe and sensible solution to the sea cage salmon farming problem.?
The Pure Salmon Campaign is a global project of the National Environmental Trust. It has partners in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Chile all working to improve the way salmon is produced. Irish partners include Save The Swilly, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers, Save Our Sea Trout, the Western Ireland Game Fishing Association and Delphi Fishery.