Press Releases

Archived Press Releases:

 May 12 ,2007
ELECTION 2007: How clean is Donegal’s water, and other pertinent political questions…?

 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 02 ,2004
COULTER CALLS FOR POLITICAL CHANGE IN DONEGAL

 December 15 ,2003
PORTSALON SALMON-FARMING LICENCE REFUSED BY ALAB

 November 05 ,2003
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY FEDERATION OF IRISH SALMON AND SEA TROUT ANGLERS, FRIENDS OF CLEW BAY AND SAVE THE SWILLY

 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"

 June 21 ,2003
ANOTHER DISASTER IN INVER BAY - INQUIRY ESSENTIAL

 February 08 ,2003
SAVE THE SWILLY MEETS INISHOWEN POLITICIANS

 February 03 ,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

 October 01 ,2002
Press Releases Save The Swilly 1 October 2002 PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

 September 25 ,2002
SAVE THE SWILLY WELCOMES EU STRATEGY ON COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

 August 12 ,2002
'Lough Swilly ICZM Report'

 August 02 ,2002
QUESTIONS OVER DECOMPOSING SALMON IN INVER BAY

 June 03 ,2002
NO ROOM FOR TRADITION IN LOUGH SWILLY

 May 03 ,2002
Save The Swilly opts for "Swilly First"

 May 03 ,2002
Save The Swilly/Green Party candidate withdraws

 May 01 ,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 01 ,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 09 ,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
An open letter to the people on the shores of Lough Swilly:

 January 16 ,2001
Delegation meets Minister Hugh Byrne

 January 09 ,2001
Save The Swilly (from looking like Mulroy Bay)

SAVE THE SWILLY - March 12 ,2002

Study of Lough Swilly launched

Save The Swilly (STS) has commissioned a Scoping Study for an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) strategy for Lough Swilly. The independent study will be conducted by the Coastal Studies Research Group at the University of Ulster's School of Environmental Studies in Coleraine.

The study will review the current physical, biological and chemical status of Lough Swilly. It will assess the economic, social and cultural aspects of the lough's current usage, as well as the responsibilities of government departments, local authorities and other organisations. Recommendations on the structure of an ICZM initiative will be made, and an assessment made of similar initiatives in Ireland (Bantry Bay Charter); Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland; "Focus on Firths" in Scotland and Cardigan Bay in Wales.

Save The Swilly, an umbrella organisation now grown to comprise 35 member groups, came together in January 2001 to lobby the Irish government to declare a moratorium on aquaculture licensing in Lough Swilly until a comprehensive and independent baseline study and an environmental impact assessment of the lough is completed. During the past year, STS membership has grown to the current total of 35 groups.

STS chairman Mr Tony Morrison said: "We believe this study will be the foundation for a better understanding of the invaluable resource that Lough Swilly represents to Donegal and to Ireland. Our only regret is that the Irish government has not yet recognised the need to take stock of the state of the lough. We again ask the Minister for the Marine to declare a moratorium on aquaculture licensing until this assessment has run its course." A 10,000-signature petition seeking such a moratorium is to be submitted to the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament soon. It was presented to Mr Frank Fahey, Minister for the Marine last year but he has not commented.

Mr Fahey, responding to a question from Mr Eamon Gilmore of the Labour Party in the Dail a year ago, said: "I have no proposals to commission a study on the overall aquaculture potential of Lough Swilly." Mr Morrison said the government clearly had no intention of producing serious evaluative research on Lough Swilly, ignoring requests to commission a study itself. Neither did the Department of the Marine respond positively to requests for aid in funding the STS initiative.

Save The Swilly, left with no alternative in their objective of establishing the best way forward for Lough Swilly, launched a fund-raising campaign in September and has since received sufficient backing from the public to cover the cost of the Scoping Study. STS will use the study's recommendations to raise further funds from Europe, from international environmental agencies and from concerned Irish citizens to proceed with the comprehensive ICZM study of Lough Swilly.

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