Commercial fishing at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary has raised fears that the feeding grounds for the only resident school of dolphins in Irish waters will be destroyed.
Up to four trawlers have been fishing shoals of sprat in the area, each taking more than 10 tonnes of catch daily for the past fortnight in the Special Area of Conservation (SAC), it has been claimed.
Green Party TD Mr Trevor Sargent tabled a question in the Dail yesterday, asking the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, what action he proposed to take about the activity which threatens a school of more than 130 bottlenose dolphins. The Minister is due to reply next week.
Mr Sargent said the Wildlife Amendments Bill would make little impact if there were not more rangers in place and patrol boats for marine-designated areas. A new eco-tourism industry has begun in west Clare and north Kerry as a result of the dolphins. In June, a Duchas-approved accreditation scheme for nine boat operators to bring spectators out to view the animals was started.
"We are concerned at the impact this type of intensive fishing will have. This is the first time it has been fished this intensively," said Mr Paul Griffin, a Kilrush-based operator.
He has been told by the fishermen, who discovered the sprat by accident when sheltering in the estuary from bad weather a fortnight ago, that they intend to fish there until the sprat stocks run out. The fine mesh net used could also be having an effect on other species which the dolphins depend on as feed, he added. The validity of the Shannon Estuary waters as the first marine SAC was questioned by a marine biologist living on the Shannon. Dr Simon Berrow asked whether commercial fishing should be allowed in SAC waters. "The bottom line is that surely this level of fishing is incompatible with the philosophy of a protected area."
Earlier this year there was another row with fishing interests when the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, who has responsibility for SACs, published a list of more than 30 proposed marine SACs, about half of which are in fish-farming areas. The IFA, which represents salmon and shellfish farming interests, warned Duchas over a lack of consultation.