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 ,2006

OYSTER CRISIS EXPOSES "SHAMBLES" IN MANAGEMENT OF SWILLY

The year is 2006. The Irish Navy has steamed down Lough Swilly into the estuary area to quell a disturbance among local oyster fishermen. Not quite sure what they are meant to be resolving, the Navy confronts a number of legitimate fishermen, engaged in what they believed they were licensed to do, but without possession of all documentation. “Tie up or your equipment will be confiscated,” the Irish Navy gunboat warns the fishermen. Called in to “arrest” two boats allegedly “poaching” in someone else’s licensed ground, the Navy ignores the “poachers” and issues its warnings against fishermen licensed by the Northern Regional Fisheries Board (NRFB). It seems that the NRFB, the Department of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources (DCMNR), Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Coordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems (CLAMS) and the Inshore Fisheries Development Officer for this area all neglected to mention to the oyster fishermen that they were required to register their boats with the DCMNR in addition to seeking licences from the NRFB.

Strange?...........Yes. True?..........Yes. Unique?.............No.

A week after the Navy’s intervention, two fishing boats collide in an incident still being investigated, but almost certainly related to the dispute over oyster ground. The collision takes place in the area of Lough Swilly the Irish Navy had been sent to investigate in the first place. Unsurprisingly, the Navy’s action the previous week, essentially against innocent bystanders, had no impact at all on the dispute at the heart of the matter. The State agencies, as usual, appear incapable of dealing with the issue, or even of making an attempt to address the facts.

The most important fact is that there is no effective management of Lough Swilly, and that effective management is impossible without an overall plan. There is no overall plan because there is no real commitment to an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) policy despite years of pleading with the DCMNR, the Donegal County Council and all elected politicians to introduce some planning into the management of our marine resource.

A number of years ago former Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Hugh Byrne, announced a one-off grant of IR£20,000 to enhance the Swilly wild oyster fishery. The funds allocated were placed under administration of the Inshore Fisheries Development Officer, who spent much of the money on wild oyster “seed”, and then reached a verbal agreement to place the seed in ground licensed to a member of the Lough Swilly Shellfish Co-op, an existing aquaculture co-op. In return for the use of this licensed area, the Inshore Fisheries Development Officer appears to have agreed that the licensee could retain some of the mature oysters. What is the true nature of that deal, which has never been disclosed?

It is no exaggeration to state that the management of the Swilly is a shambles. Aside from the above dispute, there is a litany of unresolved matters, including: the long-delayed proposal to establish a wild oyster co-op; clear definition of the actual wild oyster ground; and, awarding of licences in breach of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997 to cultivate bottom-culture mussels within an oyster sanctuary. Overall, the DCMNR appears incapable of enforcing the regulations and licence conditions for which it is responsible.

Ireland’s marine resource belongs to the nation. Its stewardship is in the hands of the DCMNR, which is obliged to manage the resource in the best interests of the State. Recent events in the Swilly suggest the Minister and his officials are failing in their duty.

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