Protest against new salmon farm in Bantry Bay
Brian Moore
Known worldwide as the salmon farm industry’s ‘public enemy number one’, Don Staniford was in Bantry, Co Cork recently to offer his support to the Save Bantry Bay (SBB) committee as they resist plans for a new salmon farm in Bantry Bay.
Marine Harvest Ireland is currently awaiting permission from the Department of the Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to begin constructing a 14 cage salmon farm at a site just off Shot Head in Bantry Bay.
Speaking at a protest meeting, Mr Staniford urged the people of Bantry to resist any attempt to develop more salmon farming businesses in the bay.
“You can’t allow this corporation to expand in your area. If Marine Harvest gets a foothold in Bantry Bay it will cause problems just like they’ve done around the world as in Chile, Scotland and in Norway. This company is bad news: bad news for the environment, bad news for wild salmon and bad news for the people of Bantry Bay,’ he said.
Widespread protest
Over 150 people attended the protest meeting, with many local fishermen and Bantry Bay residents being joined by protestors from Kerry, Cork City and as far away as Fermanagh.
“This is very encouraging; it’s good for the people of Bantry to see that they are not alone in their fight to stop Marine Harvest. We now plan to unite the different groups around the country so that we can ensure that Marine Harvest will face opposition no matter where they go to set up their farms,” Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment told Inshore Ireland.
Marine Harvest Ireland plans to invest €3.5m in setting up a 14-cage salmon at the Shot Head site and a further minimum of €10m over each two-year production cycle.
Job opportunities
In addition there will be eight long-term positions for operatives. The company will advertise locally and is confident that the positions can be filled with local expertise. Six people will also be employed during construction.
“Successful salmon farming, especially organic salmon, as proposed for Shot Head, depends on a clean and healthy environment. None understands this more than Marine Harvest Ireland which was the first primary food producer in Ireland to be certified under ISO 14001:1996 (International Environmental Standard),” a Marine Harvest spokesperson told Inshore Ireland.
SBB however claim that Marine Harvest’s plans will have a huge impact on local sea-life and the livelihoods of all who depend on Bantry Bay’s fishing and tourism industry.
“The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) completed by Marine Harvest as part of the license application failed to meet standards set by the EU EIA Directive.
Their EIS fails to assess the ability of the immediate area to flush waste; the document failed to consult a single living resident in the parish (only one person was written to and he died 10 years ago) and it failed to acknowledge the Dromogowlane River — only 500m away and home to protected species that will be affected.
“The EIS also fails to consider alternative technologies such as the non-polluting closed containment systems or to consider alternative sites,” Kieran O’Shea SBB chairman and Bantry Bay pot fisherman concluded.
With no announcement imminent as to the success or failure of Marine Harvest Ireland’s application, the members of the SBB along with their neighbours in Dunmanus Bay who, recently won their appeal to have a mussel farming licence over turned, will continue to ensure that the southwest remains a hotbed of opposition for salmon farming in the area.
