Mr. Rory Keatinge:

Deputy Ó Cuív asked about the limits. I know as little or as much as him about dead weight or live weight. All I see is what we have in front of us, namely, the figure of 5,000 tonnes to 7,000 tonnes. I agree with Mr. Flynn that the main factor in determining any size is the location of the farm. It must be, as we have such a varied coastline. It is worth noting that our largest finfish farm, which is on Clare Island, comes in at approximately 3,000 tonnes. To increase this to 5,000 tonnes and then to 7,000 tonnes is to double what we know, which will also double the known impact.

Deputy Pringle asked about protocols versus enforcement. I agree that we have a slightly ambiguous law that ties into our licensing problems. When someone does something wrong, he or she should be caught and should pay for it. In 11 years, a number of fish farms have operated without licences. In the past five years, just one fish farm was taken to court. It won. That is the only case of which I know, but I am not an expert. Other groups campaign on this matter constantly and would happily let the Deputy know the details.

Regulation would help. Farmed salmon and wild salmon populations must live together. We are not so stupid as to think that they cannot. They must. However, the situation is reliant on enforcement. We need 100% positive knowledge that the farm will not impact on the wild fish swimming by on their way out to sea. Sea trout spend most of their time at sea in the inshore area. They do not migrate into the Atlantic. They spend their time around the Irish coast, so they feel a greater impact from the farms within their habitat.