Wild fish need more protection

The Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers (FISSTA) has protested and lodged complaints to both Inland Fisheries Ireland and Mayo County Council at the damming of a river on Clare Island.

We view this as another action that disrespects and disregards all environmental regulations that protect our wild fish habitat. FISSTA are extremely alarmed that regulations guarding our fresh water sources for our wild salmon and seatrout habitat are being further ignored by fish farmers as they attempt to treat more outbreaks of amoebic gill disease at fish farms all along the west coast of Ireland.

Recently, fish farmers made emergency applications to both Donegal and Mayo County councils for renewed supplies of fresh water to treat the increased outbreak of amoebic gill disease in several of their cages, in both Fanad in Donegal and Clare Island. FISSTA — whose angling membership are on the main salmon and seatrout rivers of Ireland — have been campaigning against Minister Coveney’s 10 mega fish farm plan and, in particular, with the BIM application in Galway Bay, in which they lodged a 35-page objection to last December. FISSTA remain ever vigilant and opposed to any development that damages the wild Atlantic salmon habitat.