The Dispute Over Lough Swilly Continues
CONTROVERSY over the management of Lough Swilly is continuing with a decision to grant another salmon-farming licence in the Lough proving unpopular with the protest group Save the Swilly.
The group is now bidding for support and is pleading for anyone concerned about the development to appeal to the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board before the end of February.
Save The Swilly is also calling on Donegal County Council to use its influence to delay all aquaculture licensing while considering proposals put forward for an overall management plan for the Lough. The outline of such a plan is contained in the Scoping Study for an ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) Strategy for Lough Swilly, prepared by the University of Ulster's Coastal Research division. The study has been passed to members of Donegal County Council as well as to the Dept of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources.
A public notice in local newspapers, the Derry People and Donegal News last week stated that the area to be licensed, Dooanmore, adjacent to Ballymastocker Bay, is 80 acres – which Save the Swilly claims is almost double the area the company gave in its documentation for public consultation. Moreover, the group points out that the site lies in the sailing approach to the bay and will present a significant obstacle to the visiting yachts that have been encouraged to use the new moorings at Portsalon, as well as posing a threat to wild salmon and sea trout.
The decision to add this licence – now the fourth in Lough Swilly – comes at a time when the Irish Government is giving serious consideration to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). “
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
