Save The Swilly January 28, 2003

NEW ALLIANCE FORMED IN SWILLY

Lough Swily Inigenous Fishermen Form Alliance

In a local people's initiative to promote a sustainable way of developing Lough Swilly, three groups of indigenous fishermen in the lough have decided to form an alliance, the Swilly Alliance of Indigenous Fishermen (SAIF), to pursue their mutual interests. The three groups - the Brown family of Inch Island, the Lough Swilly Wild Oyster Development Association and the Hanlon family of Ramelton - said in a joint statement that they have some development proposals for Lough Swilly and they believe SAIF is a platform for them to present these ideas.

SAIF seeks the following:

• A full assessment of the shellfish carrying capacity of Lough Swilly and River Swilly before any further licenses are issued.
• Establishment of a wild mussel fishery in areas now earmarked for mussel aquaculture, with local fishermen given priority in the licencing process.
• Existing one-year licences for oyster fishery extended to 10-year licences.
• Shore-based manual oyster pickers to be recognised, licensed and regulated.

"We have worked together in the Swilly for generations without a bother," said Mr Kenny Brown, "and we would like to ensure that there is a resource for generations to come." A key idea put forward by SAIF is that the remaining areas of Lough Swilly suitable for mussel or oyster cultivation should be developed as wild mussel and oyster fisheries. The wild oyster beds in Lough Swilly, one of only 16 throughout Europe, are fished under licence from the Northern Regional Fisheries Board. SAIF believes a similar system should be established for the harvesting of the wild mussel fishery in the Swilly. Priority in licensing for the expanded wild mussel grounds must be given to local fishermen who are anxious to expand their inshore activities as compensation for reduced whitefish quotas and who are equally determined to ensure that Lough Swilly is protected from over-development.
"Until we know what the carrying capacity of Lough Swilly is for all categories of managed fishery or aquaculture, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources should not even consider granting any further licences," the SAIF spokesman said. "We are headed down a road that will see huge areas of Lough Swilly under the control of a few licencees who have an incentive to produce as intensively as possible their allotted ground. It would be far more sensible to address the Swilly as a single, managed wild fishery, ensuring the sustainability of all species in an economic way. The rush to licence as much ground as possible for shellfish aquaculture over the past three years has produced tensions in Lough Swilly, and this is unnecessary," he added. The licensing of hundreds of hectares of Lough Swilly and River Swilly to a few individuals is providing a public resource for private profit, which imposes a responsibility on the Department of the Marine to ensure that this is the best use of the public resource. SAIF is urging the government in Dublin and local representatives to re-think the strategy for the Swilly before it is too late.

The Lough Swilly Wild Oyster Development Association says the authorities must recognise Lough Swilly as primarily a wild fishery. "We have one of the best habitats for wild oysters in Europe, and one of the few oyster fisheries in Ireland with a clear record. There is scope for expansion of the wild oyster fisheries in Lough Swilly. We will step up a gear to increase our commitment to the fishery if the government shows its good faith by investing in the oyster resource. The licensing authority should also accept the commercial existence of the wild oyster fishery and to enhance that instead of eroding it with bottom-culture mussel licences."

Proposals in the pipeline for additional bottom-culture mussel licences in Lough Swilly and the River Swilly threatened the sustainability of all shellfish in the area. "There is no one looking at carrying capacity," SAIF said. "We know there will not be enough to feed all the mussels planned for the Swilly. The only sensible thing to do now is to draw a line under the existing mussel aquaculture licences and to manage the bay as a wild shellfish fishery."

The extended Hanlon family, who have been harvesting oysters on the shore in the Ramelton area for several generations, is seeking an amendment to the legislation that would allow manual oyster pickers with a verifiable record of this activity over many decades to operate within the law. "If we were destroying the oyster beds they would have ceased to exist," a spokesman for the Hanlon family said. "We can trace our family's involvement in this activity to the 1920s, and surely that must count for something."

All Lough Swilly-based fishery workers are welcome to join SAIF, which will promote the interests of local/indigenous fishermen in the Swilly.

CONTACT: John Niven 048-71841578; Alex Carlin 074-48286; Kenny Brown 074-9360295; Michael Hanlon 087-8035868

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

[back to top]

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)