Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources why the Inland Fisheries Ireland did not seek to prosecute the Electricity Supply Board for the events of 15 May 2014 at the Cathleen’s Falls dam at Ballyshannon, County Donegal, where some 300 000 elver eels were killed; and if this kill was a result of poor management by the Electricity Supply Board. [39675/15]

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the Erne as a trans-boundary waterway, a comprehensive package to mitigate the loss of elvers was agreed between my Department, the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in Northern Ireland and the ESB. This mitigation package involves the purchase, by ESB, and release of eels into the sea and the extension of ESB’s highly successful “trap and transport” programme on the Erne to carry eels around the Hydro Electric Plant at Cathaleen’s Fall. The issues were, therefore resolved via dialogue and consensus.

In addition to the need for mitigation, a key consideration was minimising the risk of a recurrence of such events. In that regard, new protocols defining roles and responsibilities for the capture and transport of elvers around the dams at Ballyshannon have been agreed by ESB with both DCAL and Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). Staff from both Government organisations will assist in overseeing the monitoring of elver traps and the subsequent overland transport of them by ESB on the Erne catchment

In contemplation of a mitigation strategy, both Departments consulted with, and followed the advice of, the Standing Scientific Committee on Eels, a statutorily independent advisory committee, comprising scientists from Ireland and Northern Ireland.

I also understand that ESB have made a number of physical improvements and considerable investment in a full upgrade of elver trapping facilities to the latest available technology at Cathaleen’s Fall. This upgrade ensures enhanced aeration and storage facilities for collected elvers before release and both IFI and DCAL are content that this has been operating effectively in the 2015 season.

ESB acted on the technology upgrade very quickly and a key element of the mitigation agreement also includes a commitment by ESB and both Departments, to keep the operational and management matters under review in the light of future developments in technology.

The Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland and I jointly welcomed the mitigation measures, the revised protocols and the fact that ESB acted responsibly in terms of mitigation.