Beara.ie

You are invited to attend the Save Bantry Bay public meeting, at 8.15pm this Saturday, the Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff.

After a recent public meeting in Adrigole a group was formed to oppose the proposed salmon farm by Marine Harvest at Shot Head, Trafrask, Adrigole. The group ‘Save Bantry Bay’ is holding a meeting on Saturday, 24 March, at the Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff at 8.15 PM to update everyone on the situation.

Chairman Kieran O’Shea, a third generation fisherman from Adrigole, and local Angling Association Secretary Alex O’Donovan, will give a presentation outlining wide ranging objections. This will highlight the fierce opposition to the farm, and how it has brought together diverse interests from across the peninsula.

Fishermen claim that the site of more than 100 acres will limit their ability to make a living, closing off part of an important ground for shrimp and prawn. Tourist interests have quoted studies in Scotland that show that certain tourists do not return to an area with fish farms as they spoil the natural beauty.

Save Bantry Bay is also particularly concerned with the impact of sea lice on the wild salmon as there are 5 salmon rivers entering the bay, all of which will be put at risk. The latest research shows that almost half of the wild salmon populations were lost in bays with salmon farms.

A further problem is the waste produced by salmon farms. It is estimated that in the year 2000, 350 Scottish salmon farms produced a level of waste that had an ecological result which was effectively greater than the sewage produced by Scotland’s 5.1 million humans. Using calculation methods outlined in this study it can be estimated that the Shot Head salmon production of 2,700 tons of fish a year would equate to sewage from a city of 47,000 people – multiple times the population of Bantry Bay.

If you are concerned about any of the above, or would like to learn more about the proposed salmon farm in Bantry Bay, please do attend out meeting.

There will also be a showing of the film Salmonopoly, a documentary about the environmental destruction caused by Marine Harvest’s operation in Chile.

More info: www.savebantrybay.org

Save Bantry Bay!