Save The Swilly 28 August 2001

SAVE THE SWILLY WELCOMES I.F.A. INITIATIVE

Save The Swilly has welcomed the Irish Farmers' Association's Fish Farming Section initiative to lobby the government to meet its obligations with respect to water quality in Lough Swilly.

Save The Swilly has individual members who have many concerns regarding the area around Lough Swilly, among them human sewage and slurry run-off from farming, but the specific mandate for STS overall is to lobby for a moratorium on aquaculture expansion until an independent baseline study and an independent environmental impact assessment of Lough Swilly have been completed.

Minister Frank Fahey has refused to accede to STS requests for such a study, supported by a 9,500-signature petition. We reiterate our call on Minister Fahey to agree to a genuinely independent assessment of Lough Swilly, so that all sources of pollution - human sewage, farm slurry, aquaculture, etc - are evaluated. We urge the IFA Fish Farming Section to support this call, as a comprehensive study as envisaged by Save The Swilly would cover all aspects of Lough Swilly, including productive uses and environmental threats.

Responding to challenges to aquaculture licensing policy, politicians and Department of the Marine officials have consistently referred to the Co-ordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems (CLAMS) as the forum for discussion. Perhaps the IFA Fish Farming Section should use CLAMS to persuade local authorities to deal with the human sewage issue.

The suggestion that fish farmers are "the only group who actively makes their living from the bay" is inaccurate. The Dublin-based IFA Fish Farming Section may not be aware of this, but there are at least 100 commercial fishermen operating in Lough Swilly. These include people who have fished the Swilly for generations, as well as natural oyster fishermen dredging one of only nine natural flat oyster beds in Ireland.

Save The Swilly's only objective is the preservation of Lough Swilly for future generations. As an umbrella organisation comprising 35 member groups, we support all development that takes as its starting point and its overriding concern the marine environment and the interests of all legitimate users of the lough. Only when we know where we are can we agree on where we should be going.

We believe the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources is making decisions on the long-term future of the lough without full consultation on equal terms with commercial fishermen, sailors, anglers, divers, hoteliers and residents. Many of these individuals and groups are concerned about various environmental issues affecting the lough, and would welcome any initiative to enhance water quality in Lough Swilly.

SAVE THE SWILLY Contacts:

Email: info@loughswilly.com
Phone: Tony Morrison (353) 07493-63733
Phone: John Mulcahy (353) 07491-59113; (353) 086-2808636
Address: c/o Buncrana Anglers Association,
Castle Lane, Buncrana, Co. Donegal
Website: www.loughswilly.com

Archived Press Releases:

September 25, 2006
Oyster crisis exposes "shambles" in management of Swilly

July 11, 2005
Attempt to double salmon-farming output in Lough Swilly

August 23, 2004
Which part of "No" don't they understand?

June 2, 2004
Coulter calls for political change in Donegal

December 15, 2003
Portsalon salmon-farming licence refused by ALAB

November 05, 2003
Sea Trout and Wild Salmon have been Victims of 'Ethnic Cleansing' - FISSTA

September 24, 2003
Prime Time Exposes Aquaculture's Shortcomings

July 24, 2003
Save the Swilly Calls for Farmed Salmon Mortality Monitor

July 21, 2003
Another Disaster in Inver Bay - Inquiry Essential

July 17, 2003
Rural Development Towards Sustainability

February 8, 2003
Save the Swilly Meets Inishowen Politicians

February 3, 2003
Blue Flag Beach Threatened by 80-Acre Fish Farm

January 29, 2003
Save the Swilly 10,000-Signature Petition Accepted by Europe

January 28, 2003
New Alliance Formed in Swilly

December 16, 2002
"Stop Ripping Up the Swilly" Indigenous People Demand

December 13, 2002
Lough Swilly's Indigenous Fishermen Speak Out

October1, 2002
Public Meeting to Discuss Integrated Coastal Zone Management

September 25, 2002
Save the Swilly Welcomes the Strategy on Coastal Zone Mangement

August 12, 2002
Integrated Coastal Zone Management Proposal Launched

August 2, 2002
Questions over decomposing salmon in Inver Bay

June 3, 2002
No Room for Tradition in Lough Swilly

May 3, 2002
Save the Swilly opts for "Swilly First"

May 3, 2002
Save the Swilly/Green Party candidate withdraws

May 1, 2002
Save the Swilly/Green Party candidate to contest Donegal North-East

April 18, 2002
Coulter to be "Ambassador at Large" for Save the Swilly

March 25, 2002
Save The Swilly presents 10,000-signature petition to EU

March 12, 2002
Study of Lough Swilly launched

November 30, 2001 STS letter to Hugh Byrne, Minister for State for the Department of the Marine

November 27, 2001 ICZM and OSPAR - not Clams - for Swilly

October 17, 2001 Salmon farm wants still more licences inshore

September 17, 2001 Save the Swilly meets Labour Party

September 13, 2001 Save the Swilly meets Minister of State Byrne

September 1, 2001 Save the Swilly begins fundraising drive

August 28, 2001 Save the Swilly welcomes I.F.A. initiative

May 15, 2001 Expansion of salmon farming tragic for Swilly

April 9, 2001 Mussel barrels adrift in Lough Swilly

March 22, 2001 Save the Swilly presents petition

March 13, 2001 Save the Swilly questions Minister Byrne

March 11, 2001 Save the Swilly reaffirms call for moratorium

February 20, 2001 Launch of Save the Swilly website

January 24, 2001

January 16, 2001 Delegation meets Minister Hugh Byrne

January 9, 2001 Save The Swilly
(from looking like Mulroy Bay)