Ms Karin Dubsky:

There are some. Lough Foyle operators, for example, on the Republic's side - or what might be the Republic's side - have no licences. They are just operating. Most of the others had licences, but those licences ran out.

As regards the timescale involved, native oysters in Ireland have been used for over 4,500 years. We know that from the shell levels. In most cases, aquaculture licences for the Japanese oyster, which is now becoming invasive, have been issued for ten or a maximum of 15 years. Given that timescale, we are having a lot of impact in a short time.