Politicians and the fish farming industry are acting to abate concerns following eating health experts’ warning over Norwegian farmed salmon toxicity levels.

“I don’t recommend pregnant women, children, or young people eat farmed salmon. There is too much uncertainty regarding the amount of toxins salmon contains and how these affect children, adolescents and pregnant women,”Anne–Lise Bjørke Monsen, specialist at Bergen’s Haukeland University Hospital told VG in article including chief physician Bjørn Bolann.

Ms Bjørke Monsen referred to the presence of Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs) accumulating in the fat–rich fish. Included in this group is PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane).

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Celebrity chef Darina Allen and the international Slow Food organisation have clashed with Bord Iascaigh Mhara over its proposed 500–hectare organic salmon farm off the Aran Islands.

In a letter to Simon Coveney, the agriculture and marine minister, the renowned owner of the Ballymaloe Cookery School accused BIM of placing information in part two of its environmental impact statement (EIS) that incorrectly “created the impression that Slow Food supported and endorsed the proposed project”.

In the letter, Ms Allen stated that BIM, which is spearheading the project, took “a passage from the Burren Smokehouse website allegedly without the knowledge or permission of the owner and added that she is a member of Slow Food and Good Food Ireland”. 

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FRIENDS of the Irish Environment has appealed two of Minister Simon Coveney’s recent grants of 34 aquaculture licences in Castletmaine Estuary, County Kerry.

According to the lobby group: “The proposal to cultivate invasive species of non–native oysters and non–native clams and mussels in a Special Area of Conservation and Special Area of Protection for Birds flies in the face of reason and undermines a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice.”

The Minister determines that the loss of up to 15% of the site does not undermine the sites integrity, ruling that “finding of damage to that site is not necessarily incompatible with there being no adverse effects on its integrity”.

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A common EU fisheries policy that lacks an effective oversight regime makes no sense.

It is an invitation to abuse, illegality and the destruction of stocks. While public attention has focused on the dumping of edible fish, a far more important matter is the unwillingness of governments to share information.

National databases on catches have been created and trawlers are required to maintain electronic logbooks. But that information remains closely guarded and is not shared between member states and fishery protection agencies.

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The discovery of huge quantities of toxic pesticides at a salmon farm in Scotland has escalated fears for a facility planned for Bantry Bay.

The Save Bantry Bay committee has reiterated calls for food and marine Simon Coveney to refuse planning permission for a new salmon farm in the world–famous bay after it emerged huge quantities of the toxic pesticide, Teflubenzuron, were discovered at a salmon farm site in Scotland.

An investigation is underway at the Marine Harvest facility after the discovery that toxic pesticide residues hundreds of times above environmental limits had been detected.

However, Marine Harvest Ireland insists the toxic pesticides are not used at their facility in Bantry Bay.

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PROFESSOR Mark Costello, chair of World Register of Marine Species and President of International Association of Biological Oceanography has written to the Minister for Marine, Simon Coveney, advising him of recent incorrect information in the media regarding whether sea lice from salmon farms can cause problems on wild fish, according to Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE).

In his letter, he explained that while he does “not normally get involved in such debates” he “was surprised at some of the incorrect information about whether sea lice from salmon farms can cause problems on wild fish” and felt it important “that I provide you with best scientific information”.

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A renowned international marine biology expert has written to Simon Coveney, the fisheries minister, about “incorrect information” that is allegedly being circulated about the effects of sea lice on wild salmon. The letter comes as the Department of Agriculture, Marine, and Food decides whether to give the green light to two planned organic salmon farms. One is a private commercial concern in Bantry Bay, and the other, off Inis Oirr, is being developed by state agency Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

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Richard Benyon, the UK’s fisheries minister, has vowed to drive “ambitious and radical reform” of the EU’s common fisheries policy at a key meeting in Brussels this week. In an interview with the Guardian, he listed three main goals for the UK – to ensure that a new proposal for fishing to be carried on strictly within a “maximum sustainable yield” that would be legally binding; a ban on the discarding of edible fish at sea, and a devolution of key aspects of managing fishing quota to member states, instead of being controlled entirely from Brussels.

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Fishermen in Irish seas who commit minor offences will not be crimin–alised or face confiscation of their catch or equipment.

Proposals launched yesterday by Fianna Fáil aim to decriminalise some sea fishery offences committed by Irish–registered vessels.

Under a proposed bill to be brought to the Seanad, trawler skippers would face administrative penalties and fines of €400 as opposed to more serious measures under current EU fishery laws.

The Government last night indicated it would consider the proposals to ease fines.

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Scientist warns minister of sea lice dangers

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Monday, May 13, 2013, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

The chair of the World Register of Marine Species has sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney warning him of recent incorrect data released in the media about the potential effect of sea lice from salmon farms on wild fish stocks. The writer insists that surface waters push sea lice into contact with wild salmon.

Marine Ecology Professor at the University of Auckland Mark Costello –– who is also the president of the International Association of Biological Oceanography and the Marine and Freshwater Editor of the journal Biological Conservation –– noted that salmon lice from aquaculture farms “have proven difficult to control on farms, especially large farms” and have been “linked to mass fatal parasite infestations on wild salmon and trout in Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Canada.”

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A TOTAL of 410 objections lie on Minister Simon Coveney’s desk as he ruminates on the pitfalls of rubber–stamping BIM’s request to build the world’s largest salmon farm in Galway Bay. And who could possibly object to the Minister’s claim that his decision “will rest solely on sound science”?

But hold on a second! Surely common sense demands that all such sound science be investigated prior to the Minister lavishing millions of taxpayers’ euros on consultant fees and a seriously discredited environmental impact statement? And what about the vast media expenses he’s spent on “reassuring” the public on how environmentally safe and financially bountiful his salmon farming extravaganza was going to be for Galway Bay?

We all know that the Minister will concentrate on the “science” that he approves of while quietly ignoring the mountain of damning data stacked against building of his complex. Let’s flick through the main scientific landmarks showing why this complex should never go ahead.

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European fisheries ministers might not relish the idea, but new research suggests that whales may be entitled to a stake in the management of certain stocks in Irish waters.The study by a team of Irish scientists shows that fin and humpback whales are attracted to the Irish coast by the superior taste of our scad and herring stocks, whereas these species feed on krill in other parts of “blue Europe”.

Krill are tiny plankton–eating crustaceans which fin and humpback whales consume in large quantities, with fin whales relying almost exclusively on them in the Mediterranean and Bay of Biscay .When same fin whales arrive in the Celtic Sea, however, they cannot resist gorging on scad and herring, according to Dr Conor Ryan of Galway–Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). 

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Just 9% of the millions of tonnes of fish caught by China‘s giant fishing fleet in African and other international waters is officially reported to the UN, say researchers using a new way to estimate the size and value of catches. Fisheries experts have long considered that the catches reported by China to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) are low but the scale of the possible deception shocked the authors.

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Sir, – In response to Richie Flynn (March 25th), it is indeed true that land–based salmon farming is in its infancy, and is a developing technology. It is also not too long since we pumped raw sewage into our lakes and rivers. We consider it unthinkable now to pump untreated raw sewage into our waters, but Mr Flynn would have us continue with a polluting, environmentally damaging industry (open–cage industrial salmon farming) rather than embrace new technology.

At a time when all land–based members of the IFA (our farming brethren) must comply with stringent waste disposal regulations, traceability and organic requirements, I am sure many of them would be annoyed to learn their organisation is agitating on behalf of an industry that disposes of its waste directly into the sea. This industry al s o causes huge damage to wild salmon through the spread of parasites and disease, and it also uses large quantities of pesticides. The same stringent organic requirements that apply to land–based farmers are not applied to salmon farmers; and pesticides, chemical treatments and antibiotics are routinely used.

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The body representing the views of a number of islanders living closest to a planned €50m organic salmon farm said it strongly objects to the plan.

The Aran island of Inis Oírr lies closest to Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s Deep Sea Project plan that it believes will employ 350 people directly and a further 150 indirectly and provide €100m in exports on an annual basis. However, Comhar Caomhan Teo has said that the proposal “offers no benefit to Inis Oírr” in view of the condition of Inis Oírr pier and the fact that no offices or storage will be based on the island. 

The objection is one of 410 submissions received by the Department of Agriculture and, to date, the department is refusing to release the contents of the submissions as it considers the fish farm proposal. 

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 But BIM says 500 jobs are at stake if project is thrown out by minister 

A MAJOR row over the country’s biggest ever fish farm has developed between promoters of the project and conservationists keen to protect wild salmon stocks.

The proposed 456–hectare organic salmon farm in Galway Bay is being promoted by the State fisheries agency BIM. At its closest shore–to land point, it will be located just 1.7 km away from the Aran Islands, whose rugged scenic beauty attracts thousands of tourists every year.

And when operating at full capacity, it will be one of the largest organic farms of its type in Europe, producing up to 15,000 tonnes of salmon annually – doubling Ireland’s current yearly production – as well as promising to create 500 jobs locally.

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 FURTHER to the salmon farming debate and following on from the protest march in Galway City recently at which up to 2,000 people attended, it is hoped by many that BIMs proposal for a super–size farm in Galway Bay will not proceed in its present format.

 A land–based unit facility is fast emerging as an option. In this regard, both BIM and the Minister for the Marine, Hugh Coveney, chould take note of a successful on–shore closed salmon farming system that is up and running in Norway since 2006 and has working facilities in Cork for the past two years. 

According to its website, Niri was established by a team of marine biologists and engineers led by Arve Gravdal who has over 20 years experience in the industry, during which time he perfected production technologies.

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Sharks risk being driven to extinction due to overfishing, with almost 100 million killed each year, scientists have warned. Many species of shark need better protection to prevent their extinction within coming decades, researchers warned in advance of a global conference on the trade in threatened species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) will consider greater protection of vulnerable sharks, including porbeagles, oceanic whitetip and three types of hammerhead to preserve their populations.

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 Icelandic conservationist Orri Vigfusson has warned plans for a fish farm on the Aran Islands ‘could destroy’ wild salmon stocks in the region.

Up to 2,000 people have marched through Galway City in protest at plans by Bord Iascaigh Mhara to locate a €100 million fish farm on a 456 hectare site in the lee of the Aran Islands.

The marchers who wielded banners proclaiming “Save Galway Bay” and the names of more than 20 angling and protest groups, were addressed at the City’s Spanish Arch by Icelandic entrepreneur and wild salmon conservationist Orri Vigfusson.

Mr Vigfusson said he was dedicated to restoring the abundance of wild salmon that formerly existed on both sides of the North Atlantic, and warned the Galway Bay project could “destroy” wild salmon stocks in the region.

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 PRIOR to tomorrow’s planned protest against plans for a 15,000 tonne salmon farm in Galway Bay, Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) has lodged a formal complaint with the Ombudsman for Local Government.

FIE argues that the proposal undermines the National Development Plan 2007 – 2013, which placed a moratorium on the expansion of salmon farming until the sea lice issue has been addressed.The moratorium was announced in July 2010 after a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Irish Seafood National Program 2007 – 2013, and was published as part of the National Development Plan 2007 –2013.

Inland Fisheries Ireland, along with the Department of Communications and Natural Resources, required that the moratorium be imposed: “until the sea lice issue has been addressed”.

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