The elected members of Ballina Town Council this week were given presentations from representatives of both Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers (FISSTA ) on the potential harm that large scale salmon farming could do to the Moy if such a project went ahead in the future.
Dr Greg Forde, head of operations with Inland Fisheries Ireland, in his presentation outlined the facts around the proposed major salmon farm currently being considered off Galway and the threat that it could pose to the wild Atlantic salmon through infection from sea lice and cross breeding between the farmed and wild salmon if there was an escape from the farm.
According to Dr Forde the threat of sea lice would be seriously magnified because of the sheer number of salmon that would be kept in these farms, up to 15,000 tonnes of salmon, which would be the equivalent of putting every salmon farm in the country in one place. It could lead to a very serious chance of infection of the wild salmon which would be going out past this farm and back as part of the natural migration routes.
Noel Carr, secretary of FISSTA, told the councillors that they should be very worried if such a farm was proposed for outside Ballina as it has the potential to destroy the region’s big tourism draw, salmon fishing, if something goes wrong either through an escape and cross breeding of the wild and farmed salmon or a sea lice infection from such a farm. Carr also informed the members that a major protest is being staged in Galway on Saturday March 2 against the proposed major farm off Galway Bay. Fine Gael councillor Josie Egan who organised the presentation told the meeting that the Ballina Anglers Association would be putting on free buses to the Galway protest on the day.
