This article is from page 12 of the 2013-03-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
MORE than 2,000 anglers and environmentalists took to the street on Sunday to protest against a proposed organic fish farm to be situated off the Fanore coast. The farm, which will be the largest fish farm in Ireland if the Department of Agriculture decided to grant it a license, is being proposed by government agency Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
A number of groups, including government agency Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) are against the proposed farm – claiming that it will result in pollution and an infestation of sea lice.
A lone piper led anglers and environmentalists from Clare, Galway, Mayo, Dublin and Donegal through the streets of Galway yesterday in the largest gathering against a fish farm ever to take place in Ireland.
BIM claim that the fish farm would be a major employment boost in the North Clare area and could create as many as 500 local jobs. These claims have been contested by organisations such as IFI, who say that the likely number of jobs created will be closer to 40.
In a meeting last Friday, BIM chair man Kieran Calnan, reiterated the organisation’s claims about the fish farm. “The benefits that would come from such a development, including 500 jobs and an increase in seafood exports by € 100 million per annum are very significant,” he said.
“As a responsible State agency in existence for more than 50 years, we have planned this project while adhering to the strictest environmental standards and we are certain that there will be no negative impacts on the marine environment, or the inter- ests of other stake holders.
“We believe that the environmental investigations, which we have carried out supported by scientific input from the Marine Institute, clearly show that a large scale organic certified salmon farm could be developed in Galway Bay.”
BIM also claim that they have a list of international companies which have already expressed an interest in operating the fish farm if it is given the green light.
“We are hugely encouraged by the level of support for this project that we are receiving from the seafood and associated industries on the west and north west coasts,” continued Mr Calnan. “These rural regions have few economic alternatives and it is essential that a project like this sustainable deep sea project proceeds if we are to stem the flow of emigration from our coastal communities.”