A PROPOSED extension by Minister for the Environment John Gormley to an EU-protected habitat off the southwest coast could threaten the viability of a mussel fishery worth €3 million, local fishermen and community groups have claimed.
The only beneficiaries of any such closure would be “starfish and green crab predators”, according to skippers based in Cromane, Co Kerry, who say scientific studies have shown that birdlife is not adversely affected by mussel aquaculture.
Environmentalist Seán Ó Suilleabháin, who is chair of the local fishermen’s co-op, says he is happy that Natura 2000 legislation and mussel culture can co-exist, based on scientific evidence.
However, the non-governmental organisation Coastwatch is opposed to large mussel dredgers working the grounds in Castlemaine harbour.
Castlemaine harbour is described as a very important ornithological site, with five bird species, including the red-throated diver, listed on “annex 1” of the EU birds directive. It extends from the Maine and Laune river estuaries to west of the Inch and Rosbehy peninsulas, encompassing extensive areas of intertidal sand and mud flats.
The mussel fishery, which dates back several centuries, has been one of the staple economic activities in the adjoining Cromane spit – as was wild salmon fishing until the driftnet ban in 2007.
Mussel culture has been governed by a complex legal arrangement, involving both statutory instruments and 10-year aquaculture licences. Three licensed mussel dredgers and up to 20 smaller vessels have been involved in the activity in recent years, with the bulk of an average harvest of 3,500 tonnes being exported to France and the Netherlands.
Retired civil servant and local resident Maurice Sullivan says some 150 people have been employed both directly and indirectly on vessels and in two processing outlets.“It is vital for this area, where there is little else,” he says.
In 1993, Castlemaine was advertised as one of 12 State-owned foreshore sites which would be classified as special protection areas for wild birds.
A Government notice dated April 7th, 1993, said that it was “not envisaged that designation will restrict the current usage pattern of these areas for activities such as fishing, watersports, sailing or game hunting, or their use for shellfish culture”.
However, a European Court of Justice ruling of December 12th, 2007, which found that the Government was not meeting its obligations under the EU habitats directive, resulted in the closure of the fishery in 2008, along with activities in 23 other bays around the coastline, pending environmental assessments.
At the time, the Irish Farmers Association aquaculture division chief executive Richie Flynn said the Government had misinterpreted the court ruling and pointed out that the community had successfully appealed a special area of conservation designation in 2000.
“Unfortunately, the then chair of the appeals committee, Michael Mills, died before the appeal could be formally recorded.”
Mr Flynn also pointed out that fishing communities were being forced to pay for the Government’s failure to commission initial management plans for sensitive habitats.
Last year, two dredgers vessels were boarded by the Naval Service for allegedly working before an approved departmental opening date for the fishery. As yet there is no opening date for this season.
Complicating the issue is the proposed extension of the special protection areas by Mr Gormley, which is now open to public consultation. Local fishermen believe this may be an attempt to shut down the mussel fishery altogether.
An extension would also affect a separate pilot wild salmon fishery in Castlemaine harbour, introduced earlier this year by Minister of State for Natural Resources Conor Lenihan and which has attracted some criticism from environmentalist and anglers.
Mr Flynn says the Government and Coastwatch must take a realistic approach to sustainable marine activity.
“Coastwatch seems to have this idea that all dredging is bad, which is like saying ploughing is also unsustainable,” he says. “We have a 7,800km coastline and there are areas which are the equivalent of the Golden Vale and must be used sustainably. Otherwise, it is just Hollywood scenery.”
THE FISHERMEN "WE CAN'T LIVE WITH UNCERTAINTY":
WHEN John Foley wants to land mussels which have been harvested in Castlemaine harbour, he has to create a makeshift slipway. He uses upturned fish boxes to keep feet dry as his crew approach the water, and a tractor and trailer for loading mussels onshore.
Successive fisheries ministers have come and gone, like the tide, promising a pier – but an eventual approved scheme was suspended, due, reportedly, to a small number of local objections.
For Foley and colleagues, the heavily cratered approach road to the sea along Cromane spit is similarly challenging.
Foley cannot currently fish, as he awaits a decision on opening the mussel grounds. He and colleagues like fisherman Brendan Teahan feed a lucrative export market. They say they have no problem with annual ecological assessments, if such surveys are carried out on time.
“Overwintering birds are the most important species in this area, so there is no reason why such scientific work by the National Parks and Wildlife Service can’t be done much earlier,” former civil servant and resident Maurice Sullivan says.
Since the dismantling of the Department of the Marine by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, fishermen like those in Cromane have found that the lack of co-ordination between departments on EU legislation is having a serious impact on their livelihoods.
“We can live with anything, but our markets won’t live with uncertainty,” they say.