Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, and I appreciate that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is primarily responsible for aquaculture. Concerns have been raised about the evolution of fish farming over the years, including salmon cages and particularly large-scale ones. There have also been concerns about escapes, lice and the effect on native stocks. Anglers are concerned about the deterioration of numbers of salmon smolts returning to our rivers. From an angling tourism viewpoint this area is hugely important.

The Minister of State listed a number of advantages of these systems and I appreciate that they are at an early stage internationally. However, there are advantages in terms of control of light, temperature and effluent, as well as the collection of nutrients from salmon.

They also provide protection from predators and losses resulting from bad weather. In addition, there is no need for pesticides or antibiotics. I accept that there are also obvious disadvantages in the context of extra costs relating to heating, pumping and lighting. However, consideration should be given to utilising these systems. Will the Minister of State and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine examine the possibility of supporting any projects relating to land-based systems which might be forthcoming?

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