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 - September 25 ,2002

SAVE THE SWILLY WELCOMES EU STRATEGY ON COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

Save The Swilly has welcomed the European Commission’s (EC) recent recommendation that aquaculture must be integrated "in strategies based on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)". Last week's statement from the EC on fish-farming acknowledges that there is potential conflict in coastal areas: "potential development is already hindered by competition for space between various users of coastal waters: small-scale, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism…" And, "Stakeholders have not been sufficiently involved in policy shaping."

A Save The Swilly spokesman said the group’s substantial investment in the recently released Scoping Study for an ICZM Strategy for Lough Swilly was designed expressly to address the issue raised by the EC. Save The Swilly, an umbrella organisation representing 35 groups, continues to call for a moratorium on aquaculture licensing in Lough Swilly until risks and rewards of differing uses are assessed. Dr Andrew Cooper, co-author of the Scoping Study, believes "Various groups are not working together to make best use of [Lough Swilly's] valuable resource . . . Subsequently, major economic development opportunities are being missed." An overall plan is a common-sense starting point for an ICZM strategy, according to the STS spokesman.

"All we have asked for is a genuine, independent and objective analysis of the best uses of Lough Swilly," said Mr Tony Morrison, the group’s chairman. "We do not see commercial fishing, both white fish and inshore, as a ‘hindrance’ to anything. Rather, these are traditional and legitimate pursuits of indigenous people, who are now confronted by the encroachment of a new competitor, aquaculture."

Save The Swilly does not believe any one user of the coastal resource, which is public property, should be entitled to set the agenda or long-term strategy for a bay as valuable in economic and heritage terms as Lough Swilly. "We believe a strategy for Lough Swilly based on ICZM is the only way forward," said Mr Morrison. "We do not deny aquaculture has a right to exist, but we - and obviously, the EC agrees - believe other users are not being given their due regard," he added.

It is not Save The Swilly’s desire nor intention to see a single job lost in the process of reaching agreement on the best management strategy for Lough Swilly. "Many people are seriously concerned about the lack of consultation and communication from the Department of Communications, Natural Resources and the Marine on intentions for Lough Swilly," Mr Morrison said. "We have asked senior politicians in the new coalition government elected last May, up to and including the Minister, to meet us and discuss our suggestions, which are based on independent research by the Coastal Studies Research Group at the University of Ulster. They have not fixed a time for any meeting yet."

The question of employment is not as clear as it appears, STS believes, and there is some dispute as to whether jobs lost in fishing can be replaced by a smooth one-for-one transfer into increased aquaculture. According to a 1999 report to the EC Fisheries Directorate by MacAlister Elliot and Partners, "The potential contribution of aquaculture to generate employment in place of capture fishing jobs remains limited. . . . There would appear to be limited overlap of skills (apart from boat handling and handling of the harvested crop)," it concluded.

Save The Swilly is urging all parties concerned with Lough Swilly to take some time to consider the recommendations contained in the University of Ulster Scoping Study, which can be accessed at www.loughswilly.com

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