Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Chairman for allowing me to attend this meeting. I thank Dr. Gargan and Dr. Forde for their presentations. I apologise for being late, but I have gone through their opening statements as quickly as I could.

It seems that they are looking at the testimony from both sides. Many of the submissions we have heard, be it from IFI or from the Marine Institute, will quote different pieces of research that quite often collide. I have not got it in front of me, but I think the Marine Institute has quoted Jackson et al., and it would not be exactly what the witnesses have said in their submission. That makes it even more difficult for members of this committee to make a reasonable and balanced evaluation of what research is out there, particularly with respect to sea lice. We are trying to bear in mind also the value, particularly in rural peripheral areas, of both the angling industry and the aquaculture industry. Trying to get the interests of those industries aligned is a hugely problematic exercise and one in which the evidence of both the IFI, the Marine Institute and other stakeholders is very important.

I agree with the submission on the separation of licensing and regulation, which would seem to be fundamental to good practice. I suggest that the Department retain the licensing side and that the EPA or the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, might have a role in the regulation of the industry.

I am pleased to note that they support the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. They also mention the creation of an emergency fund to facilitate the clean up after storms, such as the storm in Bantry Bay that Deputy Ferris remembers as the worst in his lifetime. While that release of farmed fish was significant, it practically put the fish farm out of business as well. They do want to have their stock released inadvertently.

In my view, providing an emergency fund to deal with events after they happen does not make a whole pile of sense, particularly with respect to what happened in Bantry Bay. I submit that under the new Common Fisheries Policy those involved in aquaculture ventures or those who are considering them would get better grant aid for ensuring there are better controls, husbandry and more efficient management of those sites and to beef up controls under a regulatory regime. Instead of providing public money to assess the damage, we should provide funding to prevent future occurrences.

Sea lice occurs naturally. Have Dr. Forde and Dr. Gargan base figures on the natural occurrence of sea lice and the increased occurrences of sea lice in the vicinity of aquaculture ventures? The document states that in 2014, some 29% of sea lice inspections were above the treatment trigger level compared to 18% in 2013. However, it does not state how much higher the levels were over the treatment trigger levels. Were they significantly higher or were they just a couple of base points over the treatment trigger levels? Were there just one or two incidences of sea lice that were of major concern? If one looks at all the incidences together, one might get a picture, but if they are looked at individually, how is the regulatory regime enforced? I believe sea lice are reasonable easy to treat, but what is the view of the witnesses on that?

One of the problems we have is the significant increase in the seal population. Is there a report on the impact that an increased seal population has on wild salmon stocks? Have the representatives formed a view on what action should be taken?