JUNE 2005

Bonamia Ostreae Outbreak in the Foyle

Alex Carlin, the Chairman of the Lough Swilly Wild Oyster Development Association, said the discovery in Lough Foyle of Bonamia Ostreae, which has devastated wild oyster fisheries throughout Europe, must be treated as a crisis by the Minister for the Marine, Pat The Cope Gallagher.

He said that although his members had sympathy for the Foyle fishermen, Lough Foyle should be immediately declared 'a shellfish disaster zone,' by the Minister, so that the Bonamia Ostreae is contained within the Foyle. He suggested that the appearance of the disease is equivalent to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on land. Putting the impact of the disease in perspective, he said Bonamia has reduced French wild oyster output by more than 80% since the 1970s.

Mr. Carlin said his Association had been warning for some years that Lough Foyle is at risk to cross-contamination. "There has been very active movement of trawlers and other vessels, such as mussel-seed carriers, from various bays in Ireland, and elsewhere to and from Lough Foyle. Such movement would not be allowed on land if there was a risk of cross-contamination such as foot and mouth or BSE." According to the Official Journal of the European Union, Ireland had six major bays with Bonamia Ostreae, Cork Harbour, Galway Bay, Ballinakill Harbour, Clew Bay, Achill Sound and Loughmore, Blacksod Bay. "We have been told that some vessels used to ferry mussel seed from the Irish Sea had come from bays contaminated by Bonamia." said Mr. Carlin. He also said that oyster fishermen felt let down that their interests were ignored by bodies such as the Inshore Fisheries Development Office for Inishowen. "We have had to fight every inch of the way to protect the Lough Swilly wild oyster fishery. We cannot stand back now and let the Swilly be destroyed by cross-contamination from the Foyle or elsewhere. Lough Swilly is the next disaster waiting to happen and we need immediate action on this", He concluded, "Until this week Ireland had four remaining Bonamia-free oyster fisheries. Now we have three. If the Irish Government is not prepare to do everything possible to protect our remaining oyster fisheries, we must appeal to the European Commission to intervene."

Local Sinn Fein councillor, Padraig MacLochlainn, describing the news as 'devastating,' suggested that the situation could have been avoided had it not been for 'government inaction and foot dragging.' "The fishermen have been warning that this situation was waiting to happen but there has been a lot of dragging of feet and inaction over this which has led to an industry now being devastated. Padraig MacLochlainn insisted that every step possible must now be taken to ensure that a similar situation does not develop in Lough Swilly while an enquiry must be conducted to determine how the situation was allowed to arise in Lough Foyle. This situation cannot happen again because it is outrageous to think it has happened at all."

Back